Unveiling the winners of the first edition
ANTEPRIMA announced that Yee I-Lann, Roziah Binti Jalalid, and Julitah Kulinting are the winners of the first edition of the ANTEPRIMA x CHAT Contemporary Textile Art Prize 2024. This award was created to promote the development of creative concepts and visionary ideas that respond to the dynamics of contemporary society. Embracing a global perspective, the prize aims to explore the limitless possibilities of textile art and encourage new visions, with a special focus on the Asian viewpoint. The initiative reflects the vision of Izumi Ogino, Creative Director of ANTEPRIMA, who sees art as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and a powerful means to support creatives and visionaries.
A panel of esteemed international curators, including Ann Coxon (former Curator of International Art at Tate Modern), Judith Greer (Sharjah Art Foundation), Lesley Ma (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Cuauhtémoc Medina (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo), and Akahashi Mizuki (CHAT), carefully selected the eight finalists from a total of 29 entries, representing a wide range of experiences and cultural contexts. The jury evaluated the works based on criteria such as artistic potential, originality, technical mastery, ideas, and methodology.
The winners stood out for their innovative approach to textile art, deeply connected to local traditions and global challenges. Yee I-Lann, from Sabah, uses the tikar – a traditional Southeast Asian woven mat – as a medium to tell stories, explore cultural connections, and promote democratic spaces for sharing. In collaboration with Roziah Binti Jalalid and Julitah Kulinting, textile artists from the Dusun-Murut communities of Keningau and the Bajau people of Semporna, Yee created works like Jalan-Jalan Cari Jalan (“wandering around looking for the way”), a labyrinthine mat made from plastic waste collected from the seas of Sulu and Celebes. This project poetically addresses marine pollution and highlights the importance of sustainability and environmental regeneration.
“We admired the exceptional synergy between long-term social collaboration, outstanding technical results, and innovative mat weaving techniques, along with the beautiful gallery installation that enriches the complexity of the project. Their work represents a deeply engaged community effort, while also being joyful, successfully reimagining the past and projecting it towards a different future, both socially, economically, and aesthetically,” commented the international jury.
The international jury recognized their extraordinary social commitment, artistic depth, and textile innovation, awarding them a prize of 300,000 HK$ to celebrate their contribution to contemporary art. The winners’ works, along with those of the other finalists, will be displayed at the winter exhibition at CHAT from November 30, 2024, to February 23, 2025.
An honorable mention was awarded to Shao Chun for her exceptional research into textile materials and their ability to stimulate imagination and dialogue.
The Public Prize will be awarded on March 3, 2025. Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to vote, making this event a unique opportunity to expand the dialogue between art and the public, strengthening the role of textiles as a tool for innovation and storytelling.
With this new platform, ANTEPRIMA solidifies its commitment to exploring the boundaries between fashion and art, celebrating the transformative power of creative expression.
ANTEPRIMA
ANTEPRIMA embodies the highest values of quality and beauty, which continue to ensure the brand’s success in the world’s most vibrant cities. Founded in 1993 by Izumi Ogino, the brand is distinguished by its intuitive style and contemporary elegance, admired on every occasion. ANTEPRIMA collections, designed for intelligent, confident, feminine, and joyful women in every season, reflect cosmopolitan sophistication. It appeals to a woman with a discreet passion for creativity and luxury, and an impeccable eye for beauty that transcends artificial and cultural boundaries. Since debuting at Milan Fashion Week in 1998, Izumi has conquered the fashion world with her designs, symbolized by the brand’s Italian name. ANTEPRIMA continues a tradition of excellence, inspired by Izumi’s childhood love for quality, which is reflected in all the brand’s fashion creations and accessories.
CHAT
CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) is a community museum located on the second floor of The Mills, the former cotton mills of Nan Fung Textiles in Tsuen Wan. Through a comprehensive program that includes exhibitions and shared learning experiences, CHAT aims to be an artistic hub that weaves together creative experiences for everyone. The goal is to invite visitors to discover the innovative spirit of Hong Kong’s textile heritage and engage in new dialogues and inspiring pathways that connect contemporary art, design, and tradition. CHAT will celebrate its fifth anniversary in March 2024.
