Established in 2012 by the Niemeijer Fund, the prize aims to enhance the representation and appreciation of female artists. Few financial resources and awards are available for the further development of mid-career female artists. While numerous funds are available for emerging artists, women often produce significant work later in their careers. In this phase, gender inequality is most evident and is reflected in the distribution of acquisitions by museums. The Niemeijer Fund seeks to draw extra attention to the unequal distribution between men and women, expanding the representation of the work of contemporary female artists in museum collections with the new format of the prize, of which €25,000 serves as a museum acquisition budget.
About Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide)
According to the jury, Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide) is an artist with international allure. Her work explores themes related to Eurocentrism, decolonization, racialization, (collective) healing, and shamanism. Her artistically transcendent work combines film, text, immersive installations, performances, and painting. Chang has not had a solo exhibition in a Dutch museum for a long time and, according to the jury, deserves to be added to the collection of the Centraal Museum, which nominated her for this prize.
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