The Prince Claus Fund is pleased to announce the 2016 Prince Claus Laureates. HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands will present the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award to Thai filmmaker and artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul on 15 December.

Five additional Prince Claus Awards will be presented to: chef and food activist Kamal Mouzawak (Lebanon), interdisciplinary cultural centre PeaceNiche | The Second Floor (T2F) (Pakistan), graphic designer, artist, educator and historian Bahia Shehab (Egypt/Lebanon), the digital portal La Silla Vacía (Colombia) and architect Vo Trong Nghia (Vietnam). The Prince Claus Awards Ceremony will be held in the presence of members of the Dutch Royal Family at the Royal Palace Amsterdam.

Read more about the 2016 Prince Claus Laureates from Asia, inspiring leaders in the cultural sector in Thailand, Pakistan and Viet Nam:

• Apichatpong Weerasethakul (1970, Thailand), filmmaker and artist

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is an artist and a leader of Thailand’s independent cinema movement. His works subtly address complex social issues and personal politics through mesmerising aesthetics and innovative, non-linear narrative forms. He is also committed to promoting experimental and independent filmmaking in Thailand through his company Kick the Machine Films. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s work will be exhibited at EYE Film Museum in Amsterdam in September 2017.

• PeaceNiche | The Second Floor (T2F) (2007, Pakistan), interdisciplinary cultural centre

PeaceNiche, a not-for-profit organisation founded by Sabeen Mahmud (1974-2015), is an interdisciplinary space that promotes democratic discourse and conflict resolution through intellectual and cultural engagement. Its flagship project T2F is one of the few community spaces for open dialogue; it features a café and bookshop and hosts a packed agenda ranging from writer meet-ups to performing arts to open mic nights.

• Vo Trong Nghia (1976, Vietnam), architect

Vo Trong Nghia is an architect who is putting sustainable architecture on the map by combining local materials and traditional skills with 21st century design.  With a focus on green spaces, his designs range from major urban structures to durable but inexpensive housing for remote communities. His approach to urban design is shaping the future of architecture and transforming Vietnam’s urban landscape. However, at the core of his practice, he uses the physical environment to reconnect humans back to Mother Nature.

For the past 20 years, the Prince Claus Fund has honoured visionary artists and organisations for their excellent, pioneering work in culture and development.www.princeclausfund.org

Full details of Prince Claus Laureates 2016

Top Photo Courtesy: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Read more:

Profile of Apichatpong Weerasethakul on Art Radar Asia

More on ASEF Culture360 about Apichatpong Weerasethakul:

2016: Rockbund Art Museum | Tell me a Story

Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2016

2014: Apichatpong Weerasethakul awarded 2014 Yanghyun Prize

Fukuoka Art and Culture Prize 2013



Vo Trong Nghia Architects, ‘Green Ladder’, 2016, bamboo poles, wooden pots in bamboo matting, flora, rope, acrylic panels, steel foundation elements. Installation view, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney. Commissioned by Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, Sydney, 2016. Photo: Brett Boardman.

Read more about Vo Trong Nghia's Green Ladder project at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation’s Fugitive Structures in Sydney, August 2016