401 Richmond is pleased to announce elsewhere as the recipient of the 401 Career Launcher Prize for 2024. Awarded annually, the prize provides an exceptional opportunity to occupy a coveted 500 square foot studio for a full year at one of Canada’s most dynamic arts facilities. The 401 Career Launcher Prize has been presented annually since 2000 as a way of providing support for research and experimentation at a critical time in an emerging artist’s career.
elsewhere , ‘Crack in the Case’, Nuit Blanche Toronto, 2023
“We reviewed another record-breaking number of applications this year, and although a difficult decision, elsewhere collective emerged as the clear choice, with it’s very accomplished and ambitious work,” says the 2024 Career Launcher Prize jury. “This year will be the first time the prize is awarded to an artist group, and we extend a warm 401 welcome to all four collective members.”
elsewhere comes together as a band of creatives in recognition of the alchemical capacities of collaboration, creating wholes much greater than the sum of their individual practices. Drawing upon their diverse backgrounds in painting, critical spatial practice, film, sound and architecture, they interrogate the overlaps of image, emotion, narrative and space. They create immersive multimedia installations that dance across boundaries of interactive theatre, expanded cinema, and architectural intervention. elsewhere weaves together curiosities and capacities to materialize poetic reflections on built, perceived and politicized landscapes.
Reflecting on receiving the Prize: “As elsewhere we come together to create immersive, large-scale, multimedia installations. Our creative process relies heavily on the construction of physical prototypes to engage in material explorations and artistic experimentation. It has been a significant struggle to find access to spaces that can accommodate the basic requirements needed to support our collective practice. The opportunity to occupy our own studio space for a year, embedded within the creative community at 401 Richmond will undoubtedly push our work in exciting new directions, expanding the scope and ambition of our practice. A long-term setup to create and iterate without interruption will unlock incredible possibilities for engagement, discovery, new collaborations and greater public outreach.”
With a background in architecture, Alexia Hovis brings an acute attention to detail, fabrication capabilities and intuitive spatial understanding into her work as an installation artist and creative.
Nellie Jalalzadeh is an artist, designer, and public space researcher whose practice mines the overlaps of filmmaking and architecture to craft tailored processes for storytelling and placemaking.
Katrina Jurjans is a painter and installation artist whose work explores boundaries – temporal, spatial and bodily – through a poetic lens of material articulation.
Mehdi Latifian is an artist, architect and musician whose work is driven by a fascination with complex structures, intricate fabrication, holistic composition and affective sequence.
elsewhere , ‘Crack in the Case’, Nuit Blanche Toronto, 2023
elsewhere will join the 401 Richmond community in Studio 260 from September 2024 to August 2025.
Past Recipients
Sarah Blagg (2000), Angie Nishikihama (2001), Sarah Lowry (2002), Emma Shankland (2003), Kristine Moran (2004), Emmy Skensved (2005), Adam Brandejs (2006), Gareth Bate (2007), Nikki Woolsey (2008), Angela Noussis (2009), Winnie Truong (2010), Chelsea Jamieson (2011), Graham Curry (2012), Kerry Zentner (2013), Erin MacKeen (2014), Kelly Uyeda (2016), Ellen Bleiwas (2017), Carol Cheong (2018), Miles Ingrassia (2019), Emily DiCarlo (2020), Steven K. Tucker (2021), Lana Yuan (2022), Roda Medhat (2023)
The 401 Career Launcher Prize is supported by our Community Connectivity Partner Beanfield.