OTTAWA.- Five visual artists shortlisted for Canada’s most prestigious art award present new and thought-provoking contemporary works to the public at the National Gallery of Canada, for the Sobey Art Award exhibition, on view until March 12, 2023.

The 2022 Sobey Art Award exhibition invites audiences to experience a range of artworks, spanning multiple artistic mediums, including photography, sculpture, performance, painting, and video installations. This year’s shortlisted Sobey Art Award finalists are Krystle Silverfox, (West Coast and Yukon), Divya Mehra (Prairies and North), Azza El Siddique (Ontario), Stanley Février (Quebec), and Tyshan Wright (Atlantic).

“These five powerful artistic voices hail from every region in Canada, and their works, practices, and artistic visions show the strength and impact of contemporary art on Canadian society,” said Angela Cassie, Interim Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada. “We are thrilled to partner with the Sobey Art Foundation on this Award and Exhibition and invite communities into the gallery to view these dynamic works, and help celebrate these phenomenal artists.”

“The Board of the Sobey Art Foundation congratulates these five inspiring artists shortlisted for the 2022 Sobey Art Award,” said Bernard Doucet, Executive Director, The Sobey Art Foundation. “For over 20 years the Sobey Art Foundation has been proud to observe the practices of Canadian visual artists through this award, and we are excited to celebrate their exceptional work at the National Gallery of Canada.”

“The bold artistic visions of the five finalists begin from particularities of time and place to engage in pertinent global conversations,” said Jonathan Shaughnessy, Director of Curatorial Initiatives, National Gallery of Canada, and Chair of the 2022 Sobey Art Award Jury. “Their works intertwine various media, materials and perspectives in distinctive ways to reflect on past realities and imagine possible futures.”

This exhibition is rooted in the lived experience of the shortlisted artists, and the work on display reflects their diverse backgrounds and unique ways of seeing, thinking and being in the world, expanding on what it means to be a “Canadian” artist working on Turtle Island. The multidisciplinary projects encompass a range of creative practices, from performance to activism, installation, sculpture, photography and institutional critique.

The five artists shortlisted for the 2022 Sobey Art Award are:

• West Coast & Yukon: Krystle Silverfox

• Prairies & North: Divya Mehra

• Ontario: Azza El Siddique

• Quebec: Stanley Février

• Atlantic: Tyshan Wright