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On 11 December, the Les Breuleux-based luxury watchmaking company announced acclaimed multidisciplinary artist from Tunisia, Nicène Kossentini, as the winner of the fourth Richard Mille Art Prize at an exclusive award ceremony at Louvre Abu Dhabi for her installation Landscapes.
Responding to the theme ‘Awakenings’, Kossentini earned the prestigious award, as well as a $60,000 cash prize, for Landscapes – a profound meditation on disappearance, in which, through a series of five video pieces, Kossentini presented hauntingly desolate landscapes from Tunisia, which gradually fade beneath layers of wax.
“My work, Landscapes, is an exploration of disappearance, both the physical and emotional erasure of the world around us,” said Kossentini after winning the award. “With this recognition, I am deeply honoured to be part of a community that values not only the aesthetic dimensions of art but also the stories and questions it provokes.
“I hope Landscapes invites viewers to reflect on what we are losing and, perhaps, to open their eyes to the urgency of what remains.”
The Richard Mille Art Prize, in partnership with Louvre Abu Dhabi, serves as a platform for fostering creativity in the MENA region and illustrates Richard Mille’s dedication to transcending traditional boundaries between watchmaking and modern art. The fourth edition of the award invited contemporary artists from the region to present audio-visual installations embodying the theme ‘Awakenings’ at the Art Here 2024 exhibition, which ran from 20 September to 15 December at Abu Dhabi’s Louvre Museum.
“Her work, Landscapes, is more than just art – it is a profound meditation on the fragility of time, a concept that resonates strongly with our own commitment to precision and timeless beauty,” said Tilly Harrison, Managing Director of Richard Mille Middle East, who was in attendance at the ceremony. “At Richard Mille, we are deeply inspired by the vision and creativity of artists such as Nicène,” she added.
The ceremony at the Louvre was also attended by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, who chaired the jury – which included Dr Guilhem André, Simon Njami, Nujoom Alghanem, and Maya Allison – that chose Landscapes from the featured work of five artists on display at the Louvre, for the distinguished award.
Simon Njami, Curator of the Louvre’s Art Here 2024 exhibition, said: “Nicène’s work resonated deeply with the jury, encapsulating the themes of awakening, horizons, and new beginnings with profound subtlety and poetic intensity. Her ability to translate abstract concepts into tangible, impactful art aligns perfectly with the visionary standards of the Richard Mille Art Prize.”
Words: Hamza Shehryar
