Kevin Osepa wins Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2025

From left to right: Barbera Wolfensberger, Koen Becking, Kevin Osepa, Eelco van der Lingen and Rein Wolfs. Photo: Aad Hoogendoorn.

Lusgarda is a total installation that Osepa created especially for the Prix de Rome. It highlights the disappearing ritual of Ocho Dia, the eight-day mourning period after a funeral on his native island of Curaçao. A work that ‘overwhelms and moves,’ according to the jury in their report. ‘Lusgarda is a vibrant work that elevates both the recognizable and the concealed to a higher poetic level.’ The jury recognises Osepa as an artist with a highly distinctive visual language who has developed rapidly in both terms of narrative and expression, and continues to surpass himself: ‘In Lusgarda, all elements intertwine. Like a director, the artist empowers his collaborators, revalues a culture, and simultaneously delivers a work of great technical refinement while remaining true to his own narrative. The jury believes that with this work, and his strongly developed oeuvre, Osepa can stand alongside artists of international stature and represents a major promise for the future.’

Kevin Osepa, Lusgarda, 2025. Mixed media installation with video (colour, sound, 19 min., 08 sec.) courtesy of the artist. Photo: Peter Tijhuis

Kevin Osepa’s Lusgarda explores individual and collective mourning, as well as the preservation of a tradition on the verge of fading away. Drawing on archival sources on Ocho Dia, Kevin Osepa has created an immersive experience that carries a kaleidoscope of layers of meaning. Some codes reveal themselves immediately, while others remain concealed. The jury believes that the inexplicable element is one of the work’s greatest strengths. With his contemporary interpretation of Ocho Dia, Osepa has created a deeply personal work that simultaneously speaks to universal emotions surrounding grief and the erosion of traditions. The jury sees a work that is expansive, cohesive and dramatic: ‘Through the use of everyday household objects, handmade dolls and a powerful film, the audience is drawn into an alternative reality. Osepa does not shy away from exuberant emotion or physicality.’

Left to right: Fiona Lutjenhuis, Kevin Osepa, Thierry Oussou, Buhlebezwe Siwani

Fiona Lutjenhuis, Thierry Oussou and Buhlebezwe Siwani were also nominated for the Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2025. The jury observes that the four nominees have produced work on an impressive scale and acknowledges the considerable effort they have invested: ‘The result is an exceptionally vibrant edition of the Prix de Rome, with works rich in meticulously executed detail. The strong sense of movement in the works animates the exhibition space.’ The jury further notes that, despite the gravity of the themes addressed, there is a striking sense of freedom in how the artists approach their practice and how they position themselves in relation to art history: they move lightly through references, movements, materials and symbolism in ways that excite and inspire.

All finalists were assessed based on their oeuvre to date and new work produced during a 4.5-month work period. The new works will be on display until 15 March 2026 at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in the dedicated Prix de Rome exhibition.

Kevin Osepa (1994, Willemstad) is a visual artist and filmmaker. His work focuses on Afro-Caribbean spirituality, identity and colonial memory, often addressed from a personal and queer perspective. Osepa uses photography, video and installations to create worlds in which suppressed knowledge and rituals are given new life.  

Prix de Rome

The Prix de Rome is the incentive award for emerging visual artists from the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The prize is awarded once every 2 years with the aim of stimulating the development of highly talented visual artists and to boost their visibility, thereby ensuring that the visual art field remains topical. The Mondriaan Fund has organised and financed the award since 2012. The exhibition is being organised in collaboration with the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Jury

The jury spent over a year visiting exhibitions and scouting potential candidates to arrive at the shortlist for the Prix de Rome 2025. The members of the jury for the Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2025 are: Colin Huizing (Director Chabot Museum), Imara Limon (Chief Curator at Amsterdam Museum), Rita Ouédraogo (Co-Founding Curator at Buro Stedelijk, researcher and writer), Wilma Sütö (Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Dordrechts Museum), Joep Vossebeld (Curator at Odapark Venray and writer) and Eelco van der Lingen (Director of the Mondriaan Fund).  Since Rita Ouédraogo is presenting a manifestation with Kevin Osepa at Buro Stedelijk around the same time as the Prix de Rome 2025 exhibition, she did not take part in the final assessment of the Prix de Rome.

Exhibition

The exhibition featuring the work of Fiona Lutjenhuis, Kevin Osepa, Thierry Oussou and Buhlebezwe Siwani will be on display at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam until 15 March 2026.

Publication

During the award ceremony, the publication Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2025 was launched, published by the Mondriaan Fund in collaboration with Jap Sam Books. In addition to the jury report and an introduction by curator Nadia Abdelkaui, the book contains conversations between the nominees and authors Laurie Cluitmans, Amira Gad, Kelly-ann van Steveninck and Daria Tuminas. The publication is rich in visual material, with photographs taken by Jonna Bruinsma in the artists’ studios and photographs of the new work in the exhibition, captured by Peter Tijhuis. Design: Studio Kader (Dutch/English, ISBN 978-90-76936-64-2, 208 pages, €9.90)