Fogo Island Arts and Sobey Art Foundation Announce Winner of Inaugural Sobey Art Award Shortlist Residency

January 16, 2019 (Fogo Island, NL) – Fogo Island Arts (FIA) and the Sobey Art Foundation are delighted to announce Jon Rafman as the winner of the inaugural Fogo Island Arts-Sobey Art Award Residency. This new residency partnership awards one of the artists shortlisted for the annual Sobey Art Award a residency on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, as part of Fogo Island Arts’ international residency program.

“The Sobey Art Foundation is delighted to inaugurate this important residency with Fogo Island Arts,” said Rob Sobey, Chair of the Sobey Art Foundation. “Bringing together the global ambitions of the Sobey Art Award and Fogo Island Arts for contemporary Canadian art and artists is particularly meaningful for both organizations, especially given our Atlantic Canadian roots.”

“We are thrilled to include Jon Rafman in our residency program in 2019,” said Nicolaus Schafhausen, Strategic Director of FIA. “His visionary work about the increasingly blurred lines between material and virtual realities intertwines with themes of globalization, development and idealization, topics that are often also approached at Fogo Island Arts.”

The Sobey Art Foundation’s support is a significant contribution to Fogo Island Arts’ Patrons Program, a major fundraising campaign launched in 2016 to support FIA initiatives. The partnership between Fogo Island Arts and the Sobey Art Foundation reflects a shared understanding of the critical role that contemporary art plays in enriching and revitalizing communities.