The 2023 edition of the DucatoPrize is conceived as an observatory on national and international artistic individualities and is rooted in the relationship that exists between the individual and the cosmos, where the universe is considered as an agglomeration of bodies seen from a single point of view observation.
This edition is entrusted to the direction of Giacomo Pigliapoco, independent curator, and includes the introduction of several new features, including:
the finalist artists of this edition will go from three for each category to five, for a total of 10 finalist artists who will then be part of the final exhibition; the selection is entrusted to an entirely new Collectors Board and jury, the latter composed of: Julieta Aranda, Nerina Ciaccia, Luigi Fassi, Stéphane Ibars, Bernardo Mosqueira.
The 50 selected will be included in the DP23 catalog and are divided as follows: 40 artists from the Contemporary section + 10 artists from the Academy section
Contemporary: Alix Marie, Alfredo Aceto, Andro Eradze, Julie Grosche, Mateusz Choróbski, Agnieszka Mastalerz, Davide Sgambaro, Wisrah Villefort, Daniele Costa, Edson Luli, Shafei Xia, Maria Laet, Eleonora Luccarini, Sybil Montet, Davide Stucchi, Vasilis Papageorgiou, Giuliana Rosso, Kyriaki Goni, Tomaso De Luca, Mila Panic, Rodrigo Hernández, Jieun Lim, Terrence Musekiwa, Andrea Sala, Raffaela Naldi Rossano, Paolo Ciregia, Sofie Tobiášová, Diego Gualandris, Xavier Robles de Medina, Corinna Gosmaro, Liao Wen, Pamela Diamante, Francesco João, Helena Hladilová, Andrea Nacciarriti, Judith Neunhäuserer, Marilisa Cosello, Adji Dieye, Ambra Castagnetti, Silvia Rosi.
Academy: Agnes Questionmark, Friedrich Andreoni, Gala Hernández López, Luca Campestri, Rachele Montoro, Alla Zhyvotova, Giuseppe Di Liberto, Matteo Lisanti, Flavia Spasari, Matteo Trentin.
Contemporary: Adji Dieye, Tomaso De Luca, Xavier Robles de Medina, Wisrah Villefort, Liao Wen
Academy: Friedrich Andreoni, Luca Campestri, Gala Hernandez López, Flavia Spasari, Alla Zhyvotova
Set up in the former church of Sant’Agostino, the DucatoPrize exhibition was divided into two parts, reflecting the two categories of the prize, and presented the works of the 10 finalist artists.
The architectural project by Fosbury Architecture, a collective founded in 2013 by Giacomo Ardesio, Alessandro Bonizzoni, Nicola Campri, Veronica Caprino and Claudia Mainardi, has rethought the naves with attention to sustainability. The circularity of the process was brought to the fore, thanks to the use of two materials: a white stretch film used for packaging and building blocks, made of autoclaved aerated concrete (CAA). The stretch film temporarily modified the flows and spatiality of the internal environment, while the building blocks designed the supports of the ten works on display.
The winners, announced during the inauguration on September 23, were: Adji Dieye for the Contemporary prize, Friedrich Andreoni for the Academy prize, Wisrah Villefort wins the Residenza Prize and Tomaso De Luca the special mention of the Collector’s Board. Specifically, the prize for the Contemporary section, aimed at all artists, national and international, without age limits, sees an acquisition prize of €10,000. The Academy prize, aimed at students enrolled at national and international, public and private academies and art institutes, consists of a sum of €1,000.
Furthermore, as in every edition of the DucatoPrize, a special mention from the Collector’s Board was awarded which highlights a deserving artist selected by the collectors’ committee. In addition to this year’s novelties, a Residency Award is established in collaboration with IRIS Project, an artist residency in Venice Beach, Los Angeles – California that will bring Villefort to Los Angeles for a period of one month in 2024.