Last night, it was announced that Emma Talbot is the eighth winner of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women. In partnership with Whitechapel Gallery and Collezione Maramotti, the Max Mara award supports U.K.-based female artists who have yet to participate in a major solo exhibition. Previous honorees include names like Emma Hart, Laure Prouvost, and Andrea Büttner.
“This prize comes at a crucial point that seems incredibly timely for me, as I have only recently begun to focus fully on my own work, having for many years taken on teaching roles to support my family, as a single parent. The Max Mara Art Prize for Women will help me make the most of this major step. Just at the perfect time, this supportive and amazing opportunity to concentrate totally on my work, and undertake extended first-hand research, will be life-changing,” said Talbot.
Emma Talbot, “The Age of the Reaper,” 2019, group show “Starhawk’s Backyard” with Gijs Frieling and Derk Thijs Galerie Onrust, Amsterdam, courtesy of Galerie Onrust.
The London-based artist works in painting, sculpture, installation, and drawing. Her practice investigates personal narrative, inner landscapes, and our relationship with nature and technology.
“Emma Talbot makes radiant drawings and polychromatic sculptures on an epic scale; and combines word and image to express the lyricism and the pain of subjectivity. We are all excited to see how the experience of Italy will impact on the visionary aesthetic of this year’s Max Mara Art Prize winner!” said Whitechapel’s Iwona Blazwick.
Emma Talbot with Iwona Blazwick, photo courtesy of Whitechapel Gallery.
Later this year, Talbot will spend a six-month residency throughout Italy, researching mythology, pottery, textiles, and archaeology. During that time, she’ll create new work to be exhibited in 2021 at Whitechapel Gallery, London, and Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
“I’m very proud of the long-lasting association with the Whitechapel Gallery and the friendship that I have personally shared with its director, Iwona Blazwick. Emma Talbot crafted a very original project will hopefully leverage on the incredible potentials that Italy offers when it comes to deep-diving into art history, textile techniques and the diversity of territories: all elements crucial to her future endeavor,” said Max Mara’s Luigi Maramotti.
Emma Talbot, “Your Own Authority,” 2019, Art Night commission, acrylic on silk, dimensions variable, courtesy of the artist.
