Chilean artist receives Roswitha Haftmann Prize

The winning artist's work focusses on social justice, indigenous cultures, and ecological issues. Keystone-SDA

Cecilia Vicuña has been awarded the Roswitha Haftmann Prize, endowed with CHF150,000, by the Swiss foundation of the same name. The prize honours the Chilean-born artist, activist and poet for her life's work.

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For decades, Vicuña’s work has combined “artistic radicalism with poetic power and social commitment”, the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation said on Thursday. Vicuña was born in Santiago de Chile in 1948 and is, according to the foundation, one of the most influential artists in Latin America.

Her work focusses on social justice, indigenous cultures, ecological issues and the transformative power of language. Since the 1960s, Vicuña has also combined her art with political action, according to the foundation. Living in exile after the military coup in Chile in 1973, Vicuña consistently developed her approach.

The prize is awarded by the Roswitha Haftmann Foundation board, whose members include the directors of the Kunstmuseum Bern, the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the Kunsthaus Zürich. It is the richest art prize in Europe. The award ceremony will take place on November 21 at the Kunsthaus Zürich.

Translated from German with DeepL/gw

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