The Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2025 exhibition will be open to the public at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam from 29 November. Nominees Fiona Lutjenhuis, Kevin Osepa, Thierry Oussou and Buhlebezwe Siwani have created new works especially for the exhibition. The winner will be chosen on the basis of these new works and the artist’s oeuvre.
Read more about the artists’ new works below.
Fiona Lutjenhuis
For the Prix de Rome, Fiona Lutjenhuis has created a cosmic installation centred on the doll’s house from her childhood. Through a series of paintings, she tells the story of a snail called (St)Eve. Although the snail already carries a house on its back, we follow its search for a true home. Lutjenhuis invites the audience on a magical journey into the doll’s house.
Kevin Osepa
Kevin Osepa’s new work centres on the fading tradition of Ocho Dia, the eight-day mourning period following a funeral on his native island of Curaçao. In the installation, he reflects on both personal grief and the collective sorrow over the gradual disappearance of this custom. The work forms part of a living archive devoted to the fragile survival of Afro-Caribbean rituals.
Thierry Oussou
In his new work, Thierry Oussou reflects on the transatlantic triangle of trade that arose in the sixteenth century between Europe, Africa and the Americas. Enslaved people were taken from Benin to the Americas to produce raw materials such as cotton, with the resulting products and profits ultimately flowing back to Europe. By reshaping this colonial trade route and closing the loop between Africa and Europe, Oussou connects past and present.
Buhlebezwe Siwani
For the Prix de Rome, Buhlebezwe Siwani addresses the limited historical awareness in the Netherlands of the deeply rooted colonial ties between the country and South Africa. As a Black South African woman, she confronts this Dutch history every day. Through her work, Siwani challenges the audience to face this colonial past.
Exhibition
29 November 2025 until 15 March 2026
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
www.stedelijk.nl
About the 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 aim of the Prix de Rome is to stimulate 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. An accompanying publication will be released during the award ceremony.
Award ceremony
On 17 December 2025, the winner of the Prix de Rome 2025 will be announced. Minister of Education, Culture and Science Gouke Moes will present the prize to the winner on behalf of the jury. The winning artist will receive €60,000.