The “Prize of the Böttcherstraße in Bremen” is among the leading and highest awards in the field of contemporary art in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and goes in 2022 to the Hamburg-based artists Karimah Ashadu. She receives 30,000 Euro in prize money and her film installation “Cowboy”, among the works by the other nominees, is on view at Kunsthalle Bremen from 27 August to 30 October 2022.

The jury consists of Dr. Yilmaz Dziewior, Museum Ludwig, Köln, Johann Holten, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Prof. Susanne Pfeffer, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, Prof. Christoph Ruckhäberle, Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig and Dr. Andrea Schlieker, Tate Britain, London and determines the winner of the prize during the course of the exhibition.

Karimah Ashadu (born 1985 in London, lives in Hamburg, Lagos and UK), was nominated by Bettina Steinbrügge, Mudam Luxembourg. In the video work “Cowboy”, Ashadu succeeds in relating the story of the protagonist to colonial structures in a poetic and sensual way, according to the jury’s statement for the award. “The intimacy between horse and rider, the basis of the film, along with the scenery of beach and sea, suggests a sense of freedom while also pointing to aspects of Black history.”

Find an interview with the Karimah Ashadu about her work in general here.