Big prize money announced for international art critics

The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing hosted the 10th edition of the International Awards for Art Criticism on June 2.

The award, organized by Fudan University's Philosophy School, Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum, Royal College of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, and the International Association of Art Critics, is open to critics from all over the world who can write in Chinese or English about any contemporary art exhibition held offline or online between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.

Candidates have to write a 1,500-word or 2,500-character evaluation of any contemporary art exhibition.

"Philosophy has always hovered above modern art like a ghost, but we allowed it to materialize in the form of 'art-philosophy' so that philosophy and art could truly confront each other. Reading and judging so much art criticism is also an incredible experience, allowing us to bridge the historical gap and gain insight into the world's contrasts," said Sun Xiangchen, head of Fudan University's School of Philosophy and co-chair of the IAAC Organizing Committee.

Sun also said that while contemporary art has always been critical, maintaining such critique takes a long-term commitment.

The first prize will be 80,000 yuan (US$11,041, pre-tax) and a brief stay in Shanghai or London. The three second-place winners will each get 30,000 yuan (before taxes). Twenty entries (10 in English and 10 in Chinese) will be chosen and translated for the bilingual publication of IAAC10 in 2025.

The jury for 2024 includes Cristiana Collu, former director of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome; Du Keke, editor of Artforum's Chinese-language website; Gerardo Mosquera, freelance curator, critic, art historian, and writer; Małgorzata Kaźmierczak, independent curator since 2004, and You Mi, professor of art and economics at the University of Kassel / documenta Institut.

Those interested should visit the official IAAC website (www.iaac-m21.com), input the necessary information, and post their evaluation and any supporting photographs. The deadline for entries is September 15.