Basel-based artist Deborah Joyce Holman deals with the representation of people of color and queerness in society and popular culture. She has now received this year's Prix Mobilière – the oldest art prize from a private Swiss insurance company.
Deborah Joyce Holman's work deals with questions of representation and its limits, with discourses, forms of communication, and with the instrumentalization of identities at the interface between politics and poetics. To do this, she uses different media, approaches, sources and strategies.
Prix Mobilière 2024 (Image: Mobiliar)
«The way she works with bodies, senses and language is thought-provoking – be it in her paintings, videos, or installations,» says Laurence Schmidlin, director of the Valais Art Museum. She has nominated the artist for the Prix Mobilière 2024 (in German only), awarded on January 25, 2024, at the Artgenève art fair.
All Seven Nominated Artists Will Benefit
Seven female artists were nominated for the Prix Mobilière 2024 – all women for the first time. With them, the nominators took into account important voices of the Swiss art scene who questioned relevant issues of our time with different forms of expression. The nominated artists thus represent contemporary events in the Swiss art landscape.
Prix Mobilière 2024 (Image: Mobiliar)
«An important pillar of Mobiliar's commitment to art is the promotion of young artists,» says Marta Kwiatkowski, Head of Social Engagement at Mobiliar. «That's why we're making it possible for all nominated artists to exhibit their works at Artgenève and thus make them accessible to a wide audience.»
History of the Prix Mobilière
In 1996, the life insurance company Providentia in Nyon launched the «Young Art» art prize. In 2005, when the company switched to Mobiliar, the prize was renamed the Prix Mobilière. Since then, it has been awarded annually to a young Swiss artist. This makes the Prix Mobilière the oldest sponsorship award of a Swiss insurance company.
Prix Mobilière 2024 (Image: Mobiliar)
With its social commitment, Mobiliar, which is anchored in the cooperative, wants to make a positive contribution to the future of Switzerland. Art has a high value in this context, as it can inspire, anticipate, activate, initiate and accompany. For this reason, Mobiliar promotes young artists.
