2013 Bronfman Fellows named
The Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation awarded the 2013 Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Graduate Fellowships in Contemporary Art, each valued at $55,000, to Kim Waldron of Concordia University and Nadia Seboussi of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), both of whom are completing their master's degrees.
The ceremony was held on May 22 at Galerie Graff, at the opening of the exhibition Click Here to Enter by Véronique Savard, a graduate of UQAM and a 2010 Bronfman Fellowship recipient.
The Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowships in Contemporary Art are presented annually to a graduate student in visual and media arts at each of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University and the Faculty of Arts at UQAM.
Created in December 2009 with a generous donation of $550,000 from the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Family Foundation, these fellowships are awarded for a period of two years and offer invaluable assistance to emerging artists. The financial support enables them to launch their careers by devoting themselves fully to the conceptualization, production and distribution of their works.
This year, the jury selected two artists whose practices demonstrate an impassioned commitment and exhibit a speculative dimension that directly questions our relationship to the world. The members of the jury also praised the element of risk and daring in both projects.
Kim Waldron
Kim Waldron makes frequent use of self-portraiture as a way to take a stand on various contemporary social issues. Over the years, her work has questioned the role of the image and the importance of context, while addressing the idea that reality is always a construct.
Kim Waldron was born in Montreal. She graduated from NSCAD in 2003. Her work has been exhibited widely, notably at Oboro, Expression, Gallery 44, Vu, Galerie Occurrence, Eyelevel Gallery, Eastern Edge Gallery, Art Gallery of Windsor, and La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse. She had a three-month residency in Vienna in 2007, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, and a one-month residency in Newfoundland in 2009, offered by the English Harbour Arts Centre.
"The jury selected Kim Waldron for the quality, maturity and consistency of her work," said Catherine Wild, dean of the faculty of fine arts at Concordia University. She submitted a bold project, exploring the role of both art and artist in society. Engaged and invested, the artist directly confronts sensitive issues that challenge our cultural, political and economic assumptions.
Waldron's work Before and After will be presented at the exhibition of fine arts graduating students, at the FOFA Gallery, Concordia University, from June 10 to 28, 2013. Kim has been accepted for a residency this summer at Le Cabinet Photographic Studio in Montreal.
Nadia Seboussi
Through her work, Nadia Seboussi tries to capture the social and political reality of the Algerian Civil War (1990-2000), waged between the political and military wing of the Islamic movement and the ruling military dictatorship.
Born in Algeria, Nadia Seboussi has lived and worked in Montreal since 2002. Her work has been shown in various group shows in Montreal and Algeria (Galerie de l’UQAM, espaces Jean-Brillant, Galerie Art mûr, and CDEx at UQAM).
Her academic background has been awarded numerous grants and awards, such as the Pierre Ayot Award in 2010, and the Bourse d'excellence Joseph-Armand-Bombardier of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in 2010-11. She holds a degree in Visual and Media Arts from UQAM and has just completed her Master's in Visual and Media Arts at UQAM.
"The jury cited the maturity of Nadia Seboussi's artistic practice, as well as the coherence of her work, the richness of its content, and the complementarity of the perspectives presented in her creative project, at once political, documentary and feminist," noted Louise Poissant, dean of the faculty of arts at UQAM. The jury also acknowledged the courage and personal commitment of the artist who does not hesitate to confront a difficult subject head-on. The artist's practice will have an impact on the post-colonial debate and will contribute to the training of younger artists through her undergraduate teaching.
Nadia Seboussi will have a solo exhibition in November 2013, at Dazibao, the contemporary photography centre, and will take part in several group shows throughout the year, notably in France, Argentina, Morocco and Spain.
Related link:
• Kim Waldron (Concordia) – 2013
Past Winners
The Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Post-Graduate Fellowships in Contemporary Art have been awarded since 2010. Here is a list of the past winners:
• Julie Favreau (Concordia) – 2012
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• Sébastien Cliche (UQAM) – 2012
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• Pavitra Wickramasinghe (Concordia) – 2011
Currently presenting the exhibition Time Machine at the FOFA Gallery, until May 24
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• Aude Moreau (UQAM) – 2011
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• Steve Bates (Concordia) – 2010
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• Véronique Savard (UQAM) – 2010
Currently presenting the exhibiton Click Here to Enter at Galerie Graff, until June 22
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