The Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art (BACA) is the most important international award of the Netherlands for artists from other geo-cultural regions. 2022 is the eleventh time the award has been presented. The focus on exciting, under-represented art practices that exceed or lie beyond the geographical and/or cultural boundaries of the dominant Western canon is in line with the Bonnefanten’s profile. The museum deliberately chooses to collaborate actively with artists and curators who reinforce and underline the diversity of the museum’s programme and collections.

Melati Suryodarmo (Surakarta, Indonesia) is the eleventh winner of the Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art (BACA). Suryodarmo is a versatile artist, but is particularly known for her compelling performances. In her work, she interprets strong political and social insights in a poetic and physical visual idiom. Awarding her the BACA is a welcome reason for the Bonnefanten to present Melati Suryodarmo to the public in the Netherlands and to pay tribute to one of the pioneers of performance art. The BACA is Suryodarmo’s first big European art award, and the accompanying solo exhibition is her first in Europe and the Netherlands.

Suryodarmo will receive a grant of €25,000 to support her artistic practice and the production of new work, in preparation for a solo exhibition with an accompanying publication in the Bonnefanten, in 2022.

Image Credit: Bonnefanten Award for Contemporary Art