Winnipeg artist, Divya Mehra has emerged as the winner of the 2022 Sobey Art Award, a $100,000 prize considered to be one of the most prestigious accolades in Canadian contemporary art.
This development was disclosed in Ottawa at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), home to a special exhibition highlighting this year’s top nominees. That cohort, which represents artists from five regions across the country, includes Krystle Siverfox (West Coast & Yukon), Azza El Siddique (Ontario), Stanley Fevrier (Quebec) and Tyshan Wright (Atlantic) — each of whom received $25,000 for making the shortlist.
It is germane to note that Mehra, who was born and raised in Winnipeg, represents the Prairies and North region. It could be recalled that she was previously nominated for the Sobey Art Award in 2017 when the prize was restricted to Canadian artists under 40.
Speaking after bagging the award, she said “It’s an honour to be recognized and celebrated for your work in this way”.
Chair of the 2022 Sobey Art Award jury, Jonathan Shaugnessy praised her work for being “resoundingly timely and sophisticated in addressing systems of cultural representation, production and authority.”
Shaughnessy, who is also the Director of Curatorial Initiatives at the NGC, continued that “Untethered to any specific medium, the impact of Mehra’s practice extends beyond established constructs of art”
“Her approach is defined by its sharp wit, disarmingly playful allure, and attentiveness to language and aesthetics. Her most recent explorations turn towards issues of repatriation, ownership, and modes of cultural consumption that fundamentally implicate both institutions and their publics.”
Records have it that the winner of the Sobey Art Award is determined by a jury of six curators: one international and five Canadian (who represent the same regions as the nominees). Founded in 2002, past winners have included Brian Jungen (2002), Annie Pootoogook (2006), Ursula Johnson (2017) and, most recently, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (2021).
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