PARIS – The Museum MMK for Modern Art proudly announces the prestigious PONTOPREIS MMK 2024 award recipient, Christelle Oyiri, a versatile artist and DJane hailing from Paris. This accolade includes an exclusive exhibition to be held at ZOLLAMTMMK, commencing on February 23, 2024, along with a generous endowment of 10,000 euros, granted as a stipend to the distinguished artist.
The jury, composed of esteemed figures in the art world, including Yasmil Raymond (Rector, Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main), Ulrike Groos (Director, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart), and Susanne Pfeffer (Director, MUSEUMMMKFÜR MODERNE KUNST, Frankfurt am Main), unanimously commends Oyiri’s remarkable work. They commend her exploration of the delicate balance between erasure and remembrance. Oyiri’s artistry involves the creation of new mythologies and the reinterpretation of existing ones, shedding light on how French culture and the rich tapestry of Caribbean and West African rhythms, iconographies, and visual worlds significantly influence and mold our contemporary world. Her ability to offer clear and unencumbered insights into the intersections of everyday life and art, infused with historical events and cultural legacies, is both convincing and inspiring as it breathes life into new artistic forms.
The Jürgen Ponto-Stiftung, in collaboration with the MUSEUMMMKFÜR MODERNE KUNST, bestows the PONTOPREIS MMK every two years, continuing their enduring partnership initiated in 2007, with a shared focus on directly supporting artists in their creative endeavors.
Born in the Paris region in 1992, Christelle Oyiri is a French interdisciplinary artist of mixed origin–Ivorian, Guadeloupean, and Martinican–currently residing and creating her art in the vibrant French capital. As an interdisciplinary artist, she dazzles audiences worldwide with her captivating performances as a DJ and electronic music producer. Her diverse body of work has graced renowned institutions like Centre Pompidou, Lafayette Anticipations, Haus der Kunst, Auto Italia (London), LAND (Nomadic Division Los Angeles), Musée Espace Arlaud, Ars Electronica, and HeK (Basel).
