Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the Grand Prix winner for the second Nissan Art Award, which recognizes exceptional work by Japanese artists. Seven finalists were selected by jury members in May and their respective works have been on display since November 14 at the Nissan Art Award 2015 Exhibition in Yokohama.

After a final round of jury deliberations on November 24, Nissan awarded the Grand Prix to Yuko Mohri. Mohri receives a trophy created by the product designer Keita Suzuki, along with prize money. In addition, the winner is given the opportunity to live and work in London for two months in the spring of 2016, in association with the Camden Arts Centre. By developing a network through an internationally renowned contemporary art center, the Nissan Art Award is designed to plant the seeds for the prizewinner’s future activities.

In accepting the award, Mohri said: “I am very pleased that my ideas until now about what I should do as an artist were conveyed. London has a lively contemporary art scene, and there are many places for artists to present their work. I hope this will offer opportunities for me to consider how I show my art.”

Fumio Nanjo, Nissan Art Award 2015 Jury Chairman, said: “All of the works had immense power and, as with the first screening, the judging process was incredibly difficult. While Grand Prix-winner Yuko Mohri’s new work has its roots in an actual place in society—water leakage in train stations—she elevated this into an artwork with diverse media and content, such as references to Marcel Duchamp, time, and sound. In her work, we can sense how the artist has moved into new frontiers.”

The Audience Award was presented to Tsuyoshi Hisakado, who received the largest number of votes from visitors, from the start of the exhibition until November 23.

Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., said: “Nissan is proud to support the next generation of artistic leadership in our home country. We look forward to helping emerging talents develop their practices, express their passion, and inspire others with their creativity—and we hope others will join in our efforts to support the arts here in Japan.”

The seven finalists’ artwork will be on display at BankART Studio NYK in Yokohama until December 27.

Nissan Art Award 2015 winners & first round finalists
Yuko Mohri (Grand Prix), Tsuyoshi Hisakado (Audience Award), Sayaka Akiyama, Takashi Ishida, Takahiro Iwasaki, Futoshi Miyagi, Tomoko Yoneda

Grand Prix winner profile: Yuko Mohri
Born in 1980 in Kanagawa, lives and works in Tokyo.

Yuko Mohri produces installations that convey intangible energies such as magnetism, gravity, light, and temperature by creating assemblages of reconfigured everyday items and machine parts collected in cities around the world. She was selected as a grantee of Asian Cultural Council 2014.

Her recent major exhibitions include the Yokohama Triennale 2014 (Yokohama Museum of Art, 2014), Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (Seikaitei and Chi-Ka-Ho, 2014), Unseen Existence, (Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2014), and Orochi (Gallery waitingroom, Tokyo, 2013).

Mohri’s upcoming exhibitions include THE BEGINNINGS (or Open-Ended) (Minatomachi Potluck Building, Nagoya) and Roppongi Crossing 2016 (Mori Art Museum).