Created by Sandra Hegedüs, the SAM Prize is awarded every year since 2009 to a French artist ‘working in the field of plastic and visual arts, presenting a project on a foreign country (outside Europe and North America)‘. In association with the Palais de Tokyo, the winner receives 20,000 euros and will be exposed in the museum. His work, especially his trip serving his artistic project, is funded by the award before being becoming a monograph.
This year, French photographer Louis-Cyprien Rials was rewarded for his project on Uganda. Born in 1981, he lives and works between Brussels, Paris and Berlin. He’s a graduate from the Conservatory in Theater. As a photographer and videographer, he lived three years in Tokyo where he was exhibited for the first time (Koban). In 2010, he explores Eastern Europe as well as Central Europe and the Balkans on motorbikes. In 2014, he directed the documentary Russia America (National Center of Contemporary Art Residence in Kronstadt). His video creations, such as Holy Wars, Dilmun Highway (Barhein, 2014) and Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin (Iraq, 2015) have earned his notoriety.
His works as well as those of the previous laureates, namely Zineb Sedira, Laurent Pernot, Ivan Argote, Angelika Markul, Bouchra Khalili, Louidgi Beltrame, Mel O’Callaghan and Massinissa Selmani, will integrate the collections of the Palais de Tokyo.
