The Gattuso Prize
Aaron Jones, Untitled, 2019, from the exhibition Closed Fist, Open Palm at Zalucky Contemporary, 2020.
Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid, all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Zalucky Contemporary.
Featured Exhibitions are eligible for The Gattuso Prize, a $5,000 award that acknowledges an outstanding exhibition in the Festival. Selected by a jury, the award decision is based on the calibre and concept of the work, the curatorial vision, and the overall impact and presentation of the exhibition.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Festival was adapted to reflect the changing reality of experiencing art. The criteria for The Gattuso Prize was also adapted to reflect the fact that many exhibitions were postponed, cancelled, or presented online. The jury this year, Liz Ikiriko (Assistant Curator, Art Gallery of York University) and Sabrina Maltese (independent curator), based their decision soley on the conceptual and technical excellence of the artist’s body of work.
Aaron Jones is a multi-disciplinary visual artist based in Toronto. His practice surrounds ideas of self-reflection and character-building, as a way of finding peace. Often using found images, videos and lens-based media, he works with different forms of collage to build characters and spaces that reflect upon the nuances of his own upbringing, current life and the environment. He graduated with a BA from OCADU in 2018 and is an active member of the BAU Collective. His work is included in the collections of Ryerson Image Centre, Wedge Curatorial Projects, and numerous private collections. Jones is represented by Zalucky Contemporary.
CONTACT’s Featured Exhibitions, selected to be part of the Festival through a juried submission process, are independently organized by artists, venues, and organizations across the city.
CONTACT gratefully acknowledges the generous support and contributions of La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso. The Foundation demonstrates strong leadership and influences innovation across all charitable sectors in Canada including health care, culture and the arts.
Past Winners
2019
Sophie Sabet, I Almost Didn’t Feel You Leave, Bradley Musem
2018
Shadi Harouni and Elise Rasmussen, With an instinct for justice, Doris McCarthy Gallery
2017
Sandra Brewster, It’s all a blur…, Georgia Scherman Projects
2016
Lee Henderson, Never Letting Us Take Breath, Zalucky Contemporary
2015
Jimmy Limit, Surplus, Clint Roenisch Gallery
2014
Nadia Belerique, Have You Seen This Man, Daniel Faria Gallery
2013
Marlene Creates, selected works from 30 years, 1982-2012, Paul Petro Contemporary Art
2012
Lise Beaudry, Sur la glace / Walking on Ice, Art Gallery Of Mississauga
2011
Andrew Wright, CORONAE, at Peak Gallery