Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2022

Creative visionaries have been celebrated at the Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2022.

Twenty finalists from this year’s Aesthetica Art Prize saw their work go on display at York Art Gallery throughout the summer.

This year’s exhibition invited audiences to explore, discover and engage with themes from our rapidly changing world.

Topics ranged from the ethics of representation and mass digitisation to the continuing threats posed by the climate crisis.

‘Art has the power to unite’

Cherie Federico, director of the Aesthetica Art Prize, said: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to engage with, and support, so much talent.

“Every day I am inspired by these artists.

“I thank them for giving me the opportunity to experience such captivating work.

“The Aesthetica Art Prize is a way to convene, discuss and make sense of the present moment at this critical juncture in history.

“Art has the power to unite. It is transformative.

“It takes us to new places, and introduces us to new cultures, but most importantly, it reminds us of our humanity.”

Prize winners

Among the 20 finalists exhibiting at York Art Gallery were the two prize winners.

Baff Akoto won the Main Prize for Leave The Edges.

This film is an immersive dreamscape exploring the ancestries of African diasporic cultural expression.

Yukako Tanaka won the Emerging Prize.

Their research-based Recalling the Future uses art, science and philosophy to reflect on a new era, where human reality is a hybrid of physical and virtual experiences.

Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition 2022 finalists

This year’s finalists come from countries including Argentina, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Norway, the UK and USA.

Their works span from painting and photography to three-dimensional design and video art.

Individually and collectively their pieces disrupt the status quo.

An eye-catching inflatable installation by Steve Messam exploited colour and scale to transform the gallery’s outdoor space.

Elsewhere, Jason Bruges Studio pioneered the hybrid space between art, architecture and tech.

In film, Sarah Maple’s bold and witty work explores the relationship artists have with the art world.

This year’s finalists in full are: Akihiro Boujoh; Baff Akoto; Bart Price; Elise Guillaume; Ellen Carey; Gjert Rognli; Guen Murroni; Ingrid Weyland; Jason Bruges Studio; K Young; Marcus Lyon; Omar Torres; Rebecca Lejić-Tiernan; Sara Choudhrey; Sarah Maple; Sophie Dixon; Steve Messam; Terrence Musekiwa; Ulf König; and Yukako Tanaka.

Read the artist profiles here.

A new edition of the Future Now Anthology, profiling all of 2022’s shortlisted and longlisted Aesthetica Art Prize artists, is available now. Order your copy here.

Find out more about the Aesthetica Art Prize here.