Meet the 3 Nigerian recipients of the 2023 Prince Claus Fund Seed Awards
The 3 Nigerian creatives who made the list for the Prince Claus Fund Seed Award for 2023 are Fawaz Oyedeji, Tolulope Ami-Williams, and Suchet Baba.
The Prince Claus Fund recently announced the 100 recipients of its 2023 Seed Awards. Per the list, 32 of the 100 recipients are from Africa—spread across 20 countries, with 3 being from Nigeria.
According to the announcement, the 100 recipients were selected from a pool of 1889 applicants from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe.
The Seed Awards which are presented annually, offer recognition and financial support of 5,000 euros for recipients to use at their own discretion. They allow emerging artists to explore new perspectives and develop their practice on their own terms while providing access to an inspiring international network and were made partially possible by the British Council and the Ing Yoe Tan Fund.
Read Also: Prince Claus Fund reveals the 100 recipients of its 2023 Seed Awards
Meet the 3 Nigerian recipients of the 2023 Seed Awards
The 3 Nigerian creatives who made the list for the Prince Claus Fund Seed Award for 2023 are Fawaz Oyedeji, Tolulope Ami-Williams, and Suchet Baba.
Fawaz Oyedeji
Fawaz Oyedeji is a photojournalist and historian based in Nigeria. Fawaz holds a degree in Mass Communication from the Yaba College of Technology and a degree in History Education from the University of Lagos. Fawaz’s artistic practice largely focuses on examining political consciousness within African social groups and he believes it’s important to record daily life and the seemingly mundane, not simply for higher awareness and understanding of our times, but for individuals in the future to be able to reflect on who they are and how they got there.
Fawaz has been commissioned by various publications and organizations, such as The Financial Times, Sahelien, and the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. He has showcased his works in Lagos, New York, Kigali, and Germany and he is also a beneficiary of the Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Student Grant (2019), the Bronx Documentary Center Grant (2020), and the Daniele Tamagni Grant (2021) for his work “Yours In Arms”.
Read Also: V&A Waterfront reveals the 6 creatives in the 2023 cohort of its Artist Alliance programme
Tolulope Ami-Williams
Tolulope Ami-Williams is a performance artist, art educator, and songwriter based in Nigeria. Tolulope holds a degree in Art and Design from Yaba College of Technology. She uses her body to stage symbolic statements that address themes relating to identity, empowerment, and self-affirmation.
Tolulope has participated in multiple shows as a performer, such as with her solo performance, “I Hope The Voice Matches The Face” (2021) at Iwaya Community Art Biennial in Lagos, “Harmony In Discord” (2022)" at Alliance Française de Lagos, and “Identical Is Not = To The Same” and “A Memo To 2009” at Rele Arts Foundation’s 2022 boot camp. Tolulope emerged as one of the five finalists of the Access ART X Prize 2022-2023.
Suchet Baba
Suchet Baba is a writer, poet, and copywriter based in Nigeria. Suchet is the convener of Arts and Vibes, a project she started with the goal of creating a community and safe space for artists in northern Nigeria to showcase their work and express their truths. Some of her works have appeared in literary magazines, such as Brittle Paper, Khalari Review, and Punocracy, amongst others. In 2019, Suchet’s short story was shortlisted for the Okada Books Campus Challenge.
Past recipients from Nigeria include Ayo Aknwnd, Sunday Obiajulu Ozegbe, Victor Adewale, TJ Benson, and Ochai Ogaba.
