The Sigg Art Foundation has just announced the winner of its inaugural Art Prize. Founded in 2020 by collector Pierre Sigg, the foundation aims to redefine the boundaries of contemporary art through the integration of AI and technology. However, the competition’s embrace of technology goes beyond the artwork itself, placing an AI judge amidst its jury of curators, writers and collectors.
Selected from over 300 applicants hailing from 70 countries, the 2024 Art Prize goes to Paris-based German artist Dana-Fiona Armour for her interactive video installation, Alvinella Ophis. In light of this year’s Future Desert theme, the work bears life to a hybrid snake creature in a dry, dystopian landscape, incorporating infrared sensors to mirror the animal’s heat-sensitive capabilities. Armour’s work appears at the intersection of biotechnology, AI and contemporary art, often collaborating with scientists to bring a biological dimension to her installations and sculptures.
Exploring ideas of symbiosis and evolutionary resilience, the artist has been awarded €10,000 EUR (approximately $10,922 USD) to promote environmental awareness and create a dialogue around the Anthropocene. Additionally, Armour and six other short-listed finalists have been awarded a four-week residence at the foundation’s outpost in La Castellet, a small village located in the south of France.
Shortly following the 2024 award ceremony, the Sigg Art Foundation has announced next year’s prize which will revolve around the theme of Artificial Crafts. For more information about the 2025 Art Prize, check out the foundation’s website.
