Two artists from Donegal have been shortlisted for this year’s Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize.
Mantas Poderys, from Letterkenny, has been shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023 for his pastel on oil paper portrait called ‘Shota’.
Madia Rahman Kushi, also from Letterkenny, is shortlisted in the Zurich Young Portrait Prize for the acrylic on canvas portrait entitled ‘Reflections of Myself’.
The Zurich Portrait Prize shortlist includes painting, sculpture and photography, demonstrating the breadth of contemporary Irish art. The winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize will receive a cash prize of €15,000 and will be commissioned to create a work for the national portrait collection, for which they will be awarded a further €5,000.
‘Shota’, by Mantas Poderys
Two additional awards of €1,500 will be given to highly commended works. Judges for the Zurich Portrait Prize are Dorothy Cross RHA, artist, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director, National Portrait Gallery, London, and Anne Stewart, Senior Curator of Art, National Museums Northern Ireland.
The Zurich Young Portrait Prize returns for its fifth year as a showcase for the artistic talent of young people from across the island of Ireland. Five winners (one from each respective age category and an overall winner) will be selected from a shortlist of hundreds of entries from young people aged four to 18.
Winners will receive a bespoke art box and a cash prize. The overall competition winner will be awarded a personalised wooden box of high-quality art materials and a cash prize of €500.
All twenty shortlisted entrants will have their artwork professionally framed/prepared. This year’s Zurich Young Portrait Prize judges are: Jessica O’Donnell, Head of Education and Community Outreach, Hugh Lane Gallery, Ola Majekodunmi, writer, broadcaster and producer, and Tom McLean, visual artist and curator.
Exhibitions of the shortlisted works in both competitions run at the National Gallery of Ireland from 2 December 2023 and 10 March 2024.
‘Reflections of Myself’, by Madia Rahman Kushi
Dr Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said: “With the annual Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize, our aim is to showcase the work of Irish artists and encourage an interest in contemporary Irish portraiture.
“Each year, the artists shortlisted demonstrate an incredible breadth of Irish artistic talent.”
Neil Freshwater, CEO of Zurich, said: “The Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize showcases the wonderful creativity and expertise of Ireland’s portrait artists of all ages.
“We are delighted to see such a strong and diverse selection of artworks in this year’s shortlists and very proud to sponsor these uplifting competitions.”
Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.
