Oelle – Mediterraneo Antico Prize

The Oelle – Mediterraneo Antico Prize 2025 has been awarded to Thomias Radin presented by the gallery Esther Schipper, Berlin, Seoul, Paris.

Promoted by Fondazione Oelle since 2022, the Prize is designed to enhance contemporary artistic research, particularly from the “South of the world”. It encompasses various fields, including visual arts, photography, video, sound art, and more (such as literature) — actions understood as cultural crossings in Sicily and the Mediterranean.

Jury: Caterina Riva, Director, Museo MACTE, Termoli; Alberto Salvadori, Director and Founder, Fondazione ICA, Milano; Andrea Viliani, Director, MUCIV – Museo delle Civiltà, Roma.

Their remarks: The artist embodies a method of research connected with the possible relationship with communities and their contexts, while at the same time developing a versatile approach that crosses and intertwines different artistic practices, from painting to sculpture, installation to dance and music. The jury of the Oelle Mediterraneo prize, calling for a residency in Catania, Sicily, has unanimously selected the artist Thomias Radin, represented in the fair by the Esther Shipper gallery of Berlin in the Present Future section.

The artist selected by an international jury will have the opportunity to participate in a residency in Sicily, aimed at the creation of a project that explores the cross-fertilization between contemporary languages and cultures of the Mediterranean, seen as a space for encounter and creative exchange. The project is conceived as an experiential format, designed for the “wandering artists” of the third millennium.

The winners of the previous editions are: Daniela Ortiz, Laveronica gallery, Modica (2024); Caroline Ricca Lee, HOA gallery, São Paulo (2023); Dala Nasser, Deborah Schamoni gallery, Monaco (2022).