Fountainhead Arts selects Joana Choumali as the inaugural Fountainhead Arts Residency Prize recipient, in partnership with ZⓈONAMACO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 8, 2024 - Miami, FL. Fountainhead Arts, a preeminent Miami-based artist residency, and ZⓢONAMACO, one of Latin America’s largest and most recognizable art fairs, have partnered to launch the Fountainhead Arts Residency Prize at the fair’s 20th-anniversary edition. On Thursday, February 8 at 6:00 pm in the Press lounge at the fair, visual artist Joana Choumali will be announced as the inaugural recipient; the award includes a 2025 residency fellowship to Fountainhead, where Choumali will be immersed in Miami’s cultural landscape while establishing connections with the city’s curators, collectors and arts professionals. Press is invited to attend the award ceremony.
Choumali was selected from a group of finalists chosen by Bernardo Mosqueira, the curator of ZⓢONAMACO’s EJES section, which welcomes proposals from younger galleries, hybrid spaces, and artist-run initiatives featuring presentations that span from one to three artists. For this year’s edition, Mosqueira sought to select artists exploring the powerful relationship between pleasure and politics. Choumali, represented by 193 Gallery in Paris, France and a resident of the Cote d’Ivoire, builds upon the intimacy of earlier portraits of African life by incorporating textiles and colorful embroidery directly onto her photographic images. She is the first woman–and the first African woman– to win the Eight Prix Pictet, a prestigious photography award given to photographs that communicate important messages about global, environmental and social issues.
Fountainhead and ZⓢONAMACO’s partnership arises out of a desire to provide significant opportunities for international artists eager to gain traction in the United States, says Direlia Lazo, ZⓢONAMACO’s artistic director.
“Fountainhead is increasingly recognized as an artistic discovery platform for global artists; one where curators can expand their network of promising young talent, and where artists can meet professionals who can shape the trajectory of their career,” Lazo says. “We’re excited to offer this opportunity to Choumali, who has gained wide international recognition and whose work is due for a U.S.-based audience.”
Founded in 2008, Fountainhead has hosted over 530 artists from 49 different countries, and countless U.S. cities to date. The residency affords artists critical time and space to research or make new works, and is focused on building relationships for artists during their time in residence while immersing them in Miami’s unique cultural and natural environment. In addition to roundtrip travel, living and working accommodations, and a $1,500 honoraria, artists complete studio visits, immersive trips in the field, and opportunities to expand their audience through digital storytelling.
“We are beyond proud to present this award in partnership with one of the region’s most respected fairs and are delighted that Joana Choumali will be the award’s first recipient,” says Nicole Martinez, Fountainhead’s associate director. “Joana’s career has had marked momentum and we are eager to see her take advantage of the residency and its unique approach.”
For more information or interviews, please contact Nicole Martinez at nicole@fountainheadarts.org or at +1-305-450-0414.
About Fountainhead
Fountainhead’s mission is to elevate the voices, visibility and value of artists in our society and make their work accessible in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Over the last 15 years, Fountainhead's programs have included its seminal artist residency program, local artists' studios complex and the county-wide open studios program Artists Open. Through the Fountainhead Residency, Fountainhead has welcomed over 530 artists from 49 different countries and myriad national and international cities to Miami; its programs serve over 300 artists annually and welcome thousands of patrons to engage with their work each year.
Major support for Fountainhead is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Jorge M. Perez Family Foundation, the Arison Arts Foundation, and others. Learn more at fountainheadarts.org
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