LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tobi Alexandra Falade of Wimbledon College of Arts was awarded the Hottinger Prize on Tuesday 7th January at the Mall Galleries, .
The London-based artist was born in Nigeria in 1995 and raised in Warri, Uyo, Eket, Port Harcourt, London, Rochdale and Liverpool. After moving to the UK aged 7, she believes that her ‘shadow self’ lives on in Nigeria whilst she continues life abroad, divorced from her country of origin, a theme which is evident in her work.
Presented by the Managing Director of Hottinger Art, Mélanie Damani, the Hottinger Prize, now in its fourth year, has the aim of supporting emerging talent in the art world.
Mélanie Damani is a qualified lawyer and art market expert who provides a wide range of art consultancy services to guide Hottinger’s clients in the management and structuring of their art collections, as well as assisting with the selection of works for the Hottinger collection.
Mélanie Damani said “Tobi Alexandra Falade’s work really stood out from a strong field at FBA Futures 2020. We found both the technical excellence and the message behind her work to be extremely compelling and our judges unanimously selected her as the winner. This is the first time the Hottinger collection has acquired a sculpture and we’re thrilled that Tobi’s work has inspired us to diversify. We wish Tobi all the very best and will follow her career with great interest.”
Chairman of the Hottinger collection and Executive Director of Hottinger Group, Alastair Hunter, said “The team at Hottinger passionately believes in supporting talented individuals in the art world to give them the early recognition they richly deserve. We are very excited to add Tobi’s work to our collection and look forward to displaying it for our colleagues and clients to enjoy.”
Tobi Alexandra Falade said “I’m very happy to win the Hottinger Prize at FBA Futures as this will be the first art collection my works will be a part of. I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I wasn’t selected for FBA Futures 2020, an exhibition I really admire because of its focus on figurative art and representation.”
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Notes to Editors
The Hottinger Prize for Excellence was first awarded in 2017 to Benjamin Hope. In 2018 it went to Glasgow School of Art graduate Hannah Mooney, who was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Scottish Gallery in late 2019. In 2019, the overall winner Mohammed Sami, who was recognised alongside runner-up Tomi Olopade. The prize is a purchase prize, so the winner’s work is added to the Hottinger collection.
Hottinger Group is a multi-family private office looking after the wealth management needs of international clients and their families, which remains principally owned by the families it serves. Hottinger was named ‘Family Office of the Year’ at the 2017 and 2019 City of London Wealth Management Awards, and was a finalist in the STEP Private Client Awards in 2019.
Hottinger Group has a long history of supporting art and culture, with the financial services brand dating back to 1786. The Hottinger family has been linked to political, commercial, economic and cultural life in Europe as far back as the fifteenth century.
Website: www.hottinger.co.uk
The FBA Futures exhibition takes place annually at Mall Galleries, London SW1. It is the UK’s largest annual survey of emerging contemporary figurative art, mapping new practices and ideas of representation and draughtsmanship. This exhibition is open until 18 January 2020.