Chanel has launched a series of initiatives to help pioneering artists in a post-pandemic world. Through the Chanel Culture Fund, the brand will introduce the Chanel Next Prize to support 10 individual creators across the arts, as well as partnering with international cultural institutions to create new programmes highlighting creative thinking.
The Chanel Next Prize will celebrate 10 artists in music, dance, performance and the visual arts who are “radically redefining their fields”. Each winner will receive €100,000 to further their career, plus access to a mentorship and networking community curated by the label. The competition is open to all ages, nationalities and genders.
The idea of luxury brands and conglomerates offering prizes to rising talents is nothing new in fashion, but Chanel’s take on its support of the arts is broader than the norm. The partnerships with some of the world’s leading cultural institutions, from the National Portrait Gallery in London to The Centre Pompidou in Paris, are designed to educate on missing narratives and foster collaboration. Chanel’s work with the NPG will focus on a 2023 exhibition called Reframing Narratives: Women in Portraiture, highlighting the representation of women, while its collaboration at the Pompidou will involve a multi-year programme recognising designers, artists and scientists creating ecologies for sustainable cities and communities.
The National Portrait Gallery in London
COURTESY
Chanel will also team up with The Underground Museum in LA, GES-2 in Moscow, and the Power Station of Art in Shanghai.
“The Culture Fund represents Chanel’s belief in the central importance of individual creativity in driving innovation,” says Yana Peel, Chanel global head of arts and culture. “At a time when we are navigating our way through complex new environments around the world, we know that artists generate transformative ideas that help us envision the way forward. Chanel has always championed the vitality and advancement of the arts, and we now expand that tradition through the Fund with a focus on supporting cultural innovators and path-breakers who are mapping out what’s next.”
From Harper’s Bazaar UK
