A cause for celebration for the New York-based artist Anicka Yi, who, last night in a most fabulous ceremony at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, was announced as the recipient of the 2016 Hugo Boss Prize. Celebrating not only because the award is a recognition of, to nab from the release, “a significant achievement in contemporary art”, but, well, because she’s now also the recipient of a shedload of cash. $100,000, to be exact. Which, of course, will be going on – uh-hum– strictly art-based purchases. And, as if these two rewards weren’t enough – Anicka will also get an exhibition of a solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, opening in April 2017. Yi’s work, selected from six finalists by an esteemed panel, including Katherine Brinson, Curator, Contemporary Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, is what one may call an assault on the senses, using elements like fragrance, food, fermentation and tactile sculpture to engage and challenge the viewer. As the jury said in a statement: “we are particularly compelled by the way Yi’s sculptures and installations make public and strange, and thus newly addressable, our deeply subjective corporeal realities.” It was also a special year for the prize, hence the star-studded reception, being as it turned 20 this year. Just like me. Not a day over 20. I swear. Mark Langer, Chairman and CEO of Hugo Boss said, “The Hugo Boss Prize marks a highlight in our partnership with the Guggenheim Museum and we are proud that it has now been at the core of our arts program for twenty years. We would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to the winner and express our gratitude to the jury and the Guggenheim Museum for their dedication and support.”
