DUSSELDORF.- The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, in collaboration with the Freunde der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Friends of K20 K21), will present the K21 Global Art Award for the fourth time on October 8, 2026 – one of the most highly endowed international prizes dedicated to contemporary art. Distinguished by its truly global scope, the K21 Global Art Award recognizes mid-career artists who articulate a distinct artistic vision while generating meaningful new directions within contemporary discourse. The prize includes the acquisition of a work for the collection and a dedicated presentation at K21, reinforcing the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen’s long-term commitment to a globally engaged program.
The nominees for the 2026 K21 Global Art Award are: Monira Al Qadiri (b. 1983, Dakar, Senegal), biarritzzz (b. 1994, Fortaleza, Brazil), Julia Phillips (b. 1985, Hamburg, Germany), Mohammed Z. Rahman (b. 1997, London, United Kingdom), Juliana dos Santos (b. 1987, São Paulo, Brazil), WangShui (b. 1986, Dallas, Texas, USA), Wong Ping (b. 1984, Hong Kong), and Cici Wu (b. 1989, Beijing, China). The recipient of the 2026 K21 Global Art Award will be announced in September 2026.
The nominated artists are proposed by an international jury comprising Doryun Chong (Deputy Director and Chief Curator, M+, Hong Kong), Omar Kholeif (Professor of Global Art Theory and Practice at the Glasgow School of Art and Director of the Graduate Program in Contemporary Curatorial Practice, Glasgow), and Jochen Volz (Director, Pinacoteca de São Paulo). From 2026 onward, Naomi Beckwith—Artistic Director of documenta 16 and Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation—will join this distinguished nomination jury, further strengthening its curatorial depth, interna-tional reach, and intellectual resonance. The Museum welcomed Naomi Beckwith as a decisive voice in contemporary curatorial discourse for the K21 Global Art Award.
Previous laureates include South African artist Senzeni Mthwakazi Marasela (2023), Chinese video artist Wang Tuo (2024), and Brazilian artist Tadáskía (2025).
The shortlist is submitted to the award’s selection committee, which appoints the laureate. The 2026 selection committee consists of Beatrice Hilke (Curator, Haus am Waldsee), Susanne Gaensheimer (Director, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen), Leopold Freiherr von Diergardt (Chairman of the Friends of K20 K21), as well as two young members of the Friends of K20 K21, Jonas Görges (collector, Düsseldorf) and Katharina Neudeck (specialist in modern and contemporary art, Kunsthaus Lempertz).
