BE OPEN Art is happy to announce the Artist of the Year 2022, selected by the majority of votes among the monthly ratings. We congratulate the talented Chidinma Nnoli, a young artist from Enugu, Nigeria who is currently based in Lagos. Chidinma graduated with a BA degree from the University of Benin where she studied textile design and painting.
In 2020, she was selected for the Rele Arts Foundation Young Contemporaries exhibition. Chidinma’s work, painted predominantly in oils, “confronts entrenched structures in our society, including the patriarchal power structure and misogyny; challenges stereotypes, psychology and the cultural conditioning of women.”
By the winner’s request, BE OPEN will donate the grant of 500 euros to Nigerian charity Drug Aid Africa that sources and dispenses life-saving medications in Nigeria and across the continent.
Aiming to showcase young talents, every month of 2022 BE OPEN Art invited art enthusiasts to choose the best artist among those 20 exhibited in the gallery. The artist whose works gained the majority of votes throughout the year became the Artist of the Year.
To be featured in the gallery, BE OPEN Art selects artists at an early stage of their career who emphasize social consciousness, philosophical meaning and the aesthetical solutions for the wrongs of the contemporary world, such as inequality, lack of diversity, environmental issues, and consumerism. In a way, the project sees its mission in looking for the new influencers in the art scene, and invites everyone to contribute to this process.
Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina: “I congratulate the winner and celebrate her decision to use the well-deserved grant to support a life-saving initiative. BE OPEN Art is proud to showcase the remarkable young talent we meet all over the world, and facilitate the artists in getting visibility and opportunity to have their say in the art and therefore affect lives of people who appreciate it. We applause all the featured artists and thank everyone who voted during the year.”
BE OPEN Art is an online gallery of contemporary art created by BE OPEN foundation with an ambition to provide emerging artists around the globe with an opportunity to showcase their work to the world. In 2023, the gallery runs a regional version of the competition for those artists who best represent the artistic identity of their region.