The tenth edition of the Eye Art & Film Prize has been awarded to Taiwanese artist and filmmaker Chia-Wei Hsu. Selected by an international jury, Hsu will receive €30,000 to create new work, as well as a joint exhibition at Amsterdam’s Eye Filmmuseum.
Previous winners include Garrett Bradley (2023), Saodat Ismailova (2022) and Karrabing Film Collective (2021).
Hsu’s works consider the intersections of geopolitical developments and local Southeast Asian life both past and present. In 2017, Hsu was selected as part of ArtReview’s Future Greats series. Describing Hsu’s film Ruins of the Intelligence Bureau (2015), Ho Tzu Nyen wrote that ‘In Hsu’s universe, spirits, humans, machines (both mechanical and digital) coexist without ruse, without irony, without judgement. Cameras, camera cranes, lighting equipment, microphones, screens often appear, as do his film crew, in film shoots that are better understood as rituals rooted in a mode of thinking, working and being that makes possible the peaceful coexistence and continuous negotiation of multiple modes of being.’
In a statement, jury chair and director of Eye Filmmuseum Bregtje van der Haak says, ‘We are delighted that Chia-Wei is our tenth winner. We find his highly original fusion of archaeology and technology very intriguing. He doesn’t confine himself to a single form or language; rather, he meticulously aligns the form with the content, and thoughtfully considers the presentation of his work within a space, often creating intricate installations to showcase his art.’
