Dominique White, a sculptor and installation artist inspired by the myths of the sea, has won the Max Mara art prize for women 2022-24.
White, who lives and works between Essex and Marseille, is a sculptor and installation artist whose ocean-themed works are centred around the idea of creating new worlds for “blackness”. Old sails, masts, whaling spears and maps all feature in her ghostly creations, which incorporate theories of black subjectivity, Afro-pessimism and hydrarchy – a term coined by 17th-century poet Richard Braithwait to refer to the ability for individuals to gain power over land by ruling through the instrument of water.
She impressed the judges with her proposal for a new body of work called Deadweight, a reference to a term used by the maritime industry calculating how many units of weight a ship can take before sinking. As part of the work, White intends to build and then sink her own boat-like structure in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy, before bringing it back to the Whitechapel Gallery. The work will explore Mediterranean slavery and maritime history.
In a statement, White said: “I’m thrilled to have been the recipient of an award that not only enables the development of seemingly unattainable skills and ambitious areas of research, but also supports the emergence of a new body of works.”
She will receive a six-month residency in Italy, geared towards developing her proposal. During her time abroad she will collaborate with historians and journalists and visit key sites around southern Italy as part of her research. She will also work with metal workers and visit shipyards to forage for discarded materials. A major solo exhibition launching at the Whitechapel Gallery in London and touring to Italy will then take place in 2024.
White, who was born in 1993 and studied at Goldsmiths and Central Saint Martins, previously won the 2022 Foundwork artist prize as well as awards from Artangel and the Henry Moore Foundation. She believes her family’s immigrant journey from the Caribbean to the UK is what inspired her interest in the sea, which is all-encompassing: she has talked previously about enjoying reading books while floating in the ocean.
The Max Mara prize was set up in 2005 to support female-identifying artists during a crucial stage in their careers. Previous winners of the prize include Emma Talbot (2019-21), Laure Prouvost (2011-13) and Margaret Salmon (2005-07). Also included on the shortlist for this ninth instalment of the biannual awards were the artists Rebecca Bellantoni, Bhajan Hunjan, Onyeka Igwe and Zinzi Minott. Judges included gallerist Rózsa Farkas, artist Claudette Johnson and collector Maria Sukkar. The winner was announced at a ceremony held at London’s Whitechapel Gallery.
