Chanel Meets the Avant-Garde: Artists Rewrite the Rules Across Continents

A luxury fashion house might not be the first place to look for tomorrow’s art rebels, but Chanel’s Next Prize flips that expectation. This year, the €100,000 award spotlights three visual artists who challenge cultural memory and identity in strikingly different ways. Ho Tzu Nyen from Singapore weaves together animation, performance, and installation to unravel the tangled legacies of colonialism, turning national history into a living, shifting narrative. Dalton Paula in Brazil uses portraiture to restore visibility to Black figures erased from the country’s official story, bringing the African diaspora’s overlooked faces to the forefront of contemporary art. Meanwhile, Tolia Astakhishvili bridges Berlin and Tbilisi, transforming found objects and architectural fragments into immersive installations that question the boundaries between public and private space. With mentorships from cultural powerhouses and a global spotlight, these artists aren’t just making art—they’re rewriting the script on who gets to tell the story. #ContemporaryArt #CulturalHeritage #ChanelNextPrize #Culture