In her work, Ghita Skali criticizes the selection procedure of the art prizes and of the Prix de Rome in particular. Until mid-20th century, participants were required to pass an exam at the Rijksakademie (State Academy of Fine Arts) behind closed doors. The sequestered artists were receiving food and materials through hatches in the door. One such doors features in Skali’s work for the Prix de Rome 2023. To the artist, it symbolises the ostensible appearance of equal opportunities behind art prizes, whereas this system is exclusionary and discriminatory.
The jury
The jury praises Ghita Skali’s ability to connect the personal and the fictional with political and factual within a spectrum of forms. The work is light-hearted, but never superficial. Ghita uses clever interventions to question reality, both inside and outside of the museum. The artist has a talent for conveying crucial messages, even when using a single object only.