Kapwani Kiwanga receives the prestigious 2025 Joan Miró Prize award in recognition for her powerful, research-based installations exploring history, power and social structures. The prize is presented by the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and CUPRA. The international jury recognised Kiwanga for her exceptional ability to translate complex historical and social processes into formally refined and conceptually rigorous installations. Her research-based practice explores the lingering effects of power structures, drawing from archival material to interrogate dominant narratives and reframe forgotten histories.
Kiwanga had this to say, “I see my work as an experimental archive—one that reflects on power, memory and the possibilities of tomorrow. It’s an honour to have this practice recognised in dialogue with Joan Miró’s legacy.” According to the jury, “Kiwanga’s works invite reflection on material, space and history—qualities that resonate deeply with the legacy of Joan Miró.” The prize includes a €50,000 grant and a solo exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in 2026.
Kapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada) is a French-Canadian artist of Tanzanian descent based in Paris and Berlin. She studied Anthropology and Comparative Religion at McGill University and Fine Arts at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Kiwanga uses historical archives to interrogate systems of control and visibility, creating works that open new ways of seeing and imagining. She describes her approach as developing “exit strategies”, which are aesthetic and conceptual tools for rethinking the present and speculating on alternative futures.
Kiwanga has exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale (2024), New Museum (New York), MOCA (Toronto), Haus der Kunst (Munich) and CAPC (Bordeaux). Among her many accolades are the Guggenheim Fellowship (2023), Zurich Art Prize (2022), Marcel Duchamp Prize (2020) as well as the Sobey Art Award (2018). Kiwanga is represented by Galerie Poggi (Paris), Goodman Gallery (Johannesburg, Cape Town, London), and Galerie Tanja Wagner (Berlin).
