Prix Marcel Duchamp 2020

The artists

Alice Anderson

Born in Alfortville in 1972, lives and works in London. Represented by the Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels. 

The works presented at the Centre Pompidou were created in the dance-performances at the heart of Alice Anderson's work, during which the artist paints with colour or weaves with copper thread, a symbol of digital connectivity. Sometimes dazzling, sometimes meditative, these dance-performances enable her to achieve an almost-forgotten level of consciousness. By activating certain technological objects with precise gestures, Alice Anderson "memorises" them and makes them sacred. In these "geometric dances" she establishes profound communication with the canvas. 

Hicham Berrada

Born in Casablanca (Morocco) in 1986, lives and works in Paris and Roubaix (France). Represented by the Galerie kamel mennour, Paris / London; Wentrup, Berlin; CulturesInterface, Casablanca. 

Hicham Berrada is inspired by scientific protocols to explore phenomena like heat, cold, magnetism or light. He began his "Présages" series in 2007, conducted by plunging chemical products into beakers or aquariums and retranscribing the reactions using a variety of mediums – moving images, sculptures and photographs. In an exhibition at the Fresnoy in 2017 Hicham Berrada projected a Présage on a semi-circular wall. He returns to this immersive presentation in his project for the Prix Marcel Duchamp. The developing universe resulting from the chemical experiment is presented as an experience, as if the public were in the heart of the laboratory. 

Kapwani Kiwanga

Born in Hamilton, Canada, in 1978, lives and works in Paris. Represented by the Jérôme Poggi gallery, Paris, Tanja Wagner, Berlin, and the Goodman Gallery, London, Cape Town, Johannesburg. 

Kapwani Kiwanga uses methods derived from the social sciences to deconstruct narratives that sustain the contemporary vision of the geopolitical sphere. The "Flowers for Africa" project, begun during a residency in Senegal in 2013, was presented for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2020 and still continues today. While conducting iconographical research, the artist focussed on the presence of flowers at diplomatic events linked to the independence of African countries. Placed on negotiation tables, on podiums and at parades, these floral compositions become testimonies to these historic moments. 

Enrique Ramírez

Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1979, lives and works in Paris and Santiago. Represented by the Michel Rein gallery, Paris / Brussels; Die Ecke, Santiago. 

Enrique Ramírez uses installations, video and photography to tackle universal subjects linked to his personal history: travel, immigration, the ups and downs of history, the construction of memory. The vast landscapes explored by his work are conceived of as geo-poetic spaces destined to stimulate the imagination, territories that are open to mental exploration. "Incertains", the project Enrique Ramírez presented for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2020, reaffirms the idea of art as a means of questioning the world. It invites us to imagine viewpoints as endowed with the power to pass through obstacles and penetrate the depths of history.

With the support of the Adiaf in media partnership with  The Art Newspaper