The 2022 Arnold Bode Prize has been awarded to the Wajukuu Art Project collective, whose installations in documenta Halle made, amongst other things, of sheets of rusty corrugated metal were on display at documenta fifteen. This ensemble of pictures and sculptures made use of typical materials from the Mukuru slum alongside a contemporary language of form.
Dr. Susanne Völker, Kassel’s Head of Cultural Affairs, explains in the jury’s statement: “The Wajukuu Art Project, a community-based organization initiated by artists in 2004, offers children and young people in Mukuru – one of the slums of the Kenyan capital Nairobi – the opportunity to participate, develop, and grow as a community by way of artistic offerings in an environment marked by poverty and crime. I am pleased that this year we have been able to award the prestigious prize to the Wajukuu Art Project. The Board of Trustees is following documenta fifteen’s guiding principle of highlighting collectives engaged in artistic work for the common good as a specific form of organization and production.” The award ceremony will be held in Kassel on May 2, 2023.