Award
*WESTSTERN Art Prize for Latefa Wiersch’s exhibition "Hannibal"
We are very pleased that the exhibition "Hannibal" by Latefa Wiersch has been honored with the newly established WESTSTERN Prize for Kunstvereine in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Statement by the WESTSTERN Jury:
“The exhibition Hannibal convinced the jury with its impressive interweaving of space, socially relevant themes, and a striking artistic language. The Dortmunder Kunstverein itself became a permeable urban space, in which architecture was not merely a backdrop, but a bearer of hopes, dreams, and ruptures across many generations—especially those shaped by migration. The puppet figures moved within this space as poetic and political protagonists—layered, vulnerable, and at the same time self-assured.
With this first institutional solo exhibition of Latefa Wiersch in Germany, Dortmunder Kunstverein has realized a sharp, thoughtfully curated and artistically precise presentation—at exactly the right place, with an impact far beyond it.”
Other Awardees:
Kunstverein Bielefeld Annual Program
Temporary Gallery, Köln Social Engagement
Neuer Essener Kunstverein Special Recognition
*WESTSTERN-Jury:
Maximiliane Baumgartner, artist
Dr. Stefanie Kreuzer, curator, Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr
Dr. Georg lmdahl, professor of art in public space, Academy of Fine Arts Münster
Dr. Georg Jacobi, Braunsfelder Family Collection, Cologne
Dr. Barbara Hess, art critic, Cologne
About *WESTSTERN
*WESTSTERN is a new art prize that supports and celebrates the creative work of Kunstvereine in Germany’s most populous federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia. The award honors the curators and teams working in these institutions—their dedication, their deep knowledge of local art scenes, and their inventiveness. It is they who make the cultural landscape of this region so unique and radiant far beyond its borders. The prize is endowed by entrepreneur Jan Fischer and initiated in cooperation with the LEAP Art Foundation.
