By admin 
The selection of Yogyakarta-based artist Dian Suci as the winner of the 10th Max Mara Art Prize for Women marks a significant pivot in the history of one of the art world’s most prestigious accolades for female creators. Suci’s winning proposal, titled "Crafting Spirit: Cultural Dialogues in Heritage and Practice," was chosen for its profound inquiry into the intersections of spirituality, manual labor, and cultural memory. As the first recipient of the prize under its new "nomadic" format, Suci will embark on a bespoke six-month residency in Italy, designed to facilitate a comparative study between the traditional craftsmanship of her native Indonesia and the historic spiritual and artisanal lineages of the Italian peninsula.
The Max Mara Art Prize for Women, established in 2005, has long been a barometer for excellence in contemporary art, specifically targeting mid-career female artists who require the time and resources to develop a major new project. Historically a collaboration between Max Mara, the Collezione Maramotti, and the Whitechapel Gallery in London, the prize has entered a new era with its tenth edition. By transitioning into a nomadic model, the initiative now seeks to highlight artistic talent from different global regions every two years, with Indonesia serving as the inaugural focus for this expanded international reach.
The Winning Proposal: A Comparative Study of Resistance
Suci’s proposal, "Crafting Spirit," seeks to bridge the seemingly disparate worlds of an Italian monk and an Indonesian housewife. Her inquiry is rooted in the observation that spirituality often serves as a silent but potent form of resistance against the relentless pace of global capitalism and mass production. By examining how intangible beliefs are manifested through tangible objects and repetitive physical gestures, Suci aims to uncover a universal language of devotion that transcends geographic and religious boundaries.
The artist, who works across a variety of media including sculpture, installation, video, and painting, intends to explore how the "gestures of the body" and the "memory of the hands" preserve cultural continuity. In her proposal, she highlights the work of women artisans whose daily labor exists at the intersection of survival and spiritual devotion. This focus on the domestic and the sacred reflects Suci’s broader interest in the socio-political dimensions of craft, positioning manual artistry not merely as a decorative endeavor, but as a vital repository of human history.
Chronology of the Selection Process and the Nomadic Shift
The journey toward the tenth edition of the prize began with a rigorous selection process involving a network of nominators across Indonesia. In early 2024, a shortlist of five finalists was announced, representing a diverse cross-section of the Indonesian contemporary art scene. These finalists were vetted by a panel of international experts, including Cecilia Alemani, the celebrated curator of the 59th Venice Biennale, who serves as the prize’s lead curator.
The announcement of Suci’s victory was strategically timed to coincide with the opening of the Venice Biennale, a period when the global art community gathers in Italy. This timing underscored the prize’s commitment to integrating Indonesian voices into the broader international discourse. The partnership with Museum MACAN (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara) in Jakarta was instrumental in this edition, providing local expertise and institutional support to ensure the prize’s transition to Southeast Asia was both authentic and impactful.
A Bespoke Six-Month Italian Residency
The core of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women is the six-month residency, a period of total immersion funded by the Max Mara Fashion Group. Suci’s itinerary has been meticulously planned to align with the themes of her proposal, taking her through four distinct regions of Italy:
1. Assisi: The Heart of Franciscan Spirituality
Suci will begin her journey in Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. Here, she will live in proximity to Umbrian monastic communities, studying the Franciscan philosophy of "poverty and simplicity." This stage of the residency is designed to help her understand the spiritual discipline of monastic life and how it parallels the asceticism found in certain Indonesian cultural practices.
2. Rome: Institutional Power and Sacred Art
Following her time in Umbria, the artist will move to Rome. This segment will include a focus on the grand scale of religious expression, highlighted by a special mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. In the capital, Suci will analyze the relationship between institutionalized religion and the preservation of sacred art, providing a counterpoint to the more intimate, domestic spirituality she explores in Indonesia.
3. Puglia: The Mastery of Papier-Mâché
The third phase of the residency takes Suci to the Salento region of Puglia, specifically Lecce, which is world-renowned for its tradition of cartapesta (papier-mâché). Historically used to create lightweight religious statues for processions, this craft requires immense patience and technical skill. Suci will undergo an intensive training program with local masters, learning how humble materials like paper and glue can be transformed into objects of profound veneration.
4. Tuscany: The Heritage of Handweaving and Egg Tempera
The final stage of her journey will be spent in Tuscany, where she will delve into the ancient techniques of handweaving and egg tempera painting. These mediums, central to the Italian Renaissance, emphasize the meticulous nature of artistic production. By mastering these skills, Suci intends to synthesize her findings into a final body of work that reflects the shared "spirit of the craft" between Italy and Indonesia.
Institutional Perspectives and Official Responses
The selection of Dian Suci has been met with widespread acclaim from the organizing partners. Cecilia Alemani emphasized the analytical depth of Suci’s work, noting that it offers a "resilient response to the invasive influences of capitalism." According to Alemani, Suci’s ability to view spirituality as a functional tool for cultural survival rather than an escape from reality is what set her proposal apart.
Luigi Maramotti, Chairman of Max Mara, commented on the prize’s evolution, stating that the nomadic phase allows the brand to foster deeper connections with vibrant artistic communities worldwide. By starting in Indonesia, the prize acknowledges the country’s significant contributions to the global contemporary art landscape.
For Museum MACAN, the partnership represents a milestone in the promotion of Indonesian women artists. The museum’s leadership noted that Suci’s win provides a platform for the nuances of Indonesian heritage to be explored through a sophisticated, cross-cultural lens. Suci herself expressed a "commitment to listen and learn," viewing the residency as an opportunity to honor the "intimacy of human labor."
Broader Impact and Implications for the Art World
Suci’s win and the prize’s new direction carry several implications for the international art market and the representation of women in the arts. First, the move to a nomadic format challenges the Eurocentric tendencies often found in major art awards. By focusing on Indonesia, Max Mara and its partners are actively decolonizing the residency model, facilitating a two-way exchange of knowledge rather than a one-sided imposition of Western artistic standards.
Second, the prize addresses the "mid-career hurdle" that many female artists face. Statistics consistently show that while women are well-represented in art schools and at the emerging level, they often experience a decline in visibility and institutional support during the middle of their careers. The Max Mara Art Prize provides the specific type of sustained support—time, space, and financial backing—necessary to overcome these systemic barriers.
Finally, the focus on "craft" as a high-art form reflects a growing trend in contemporary art to re-evaluate domestic and traditional skills. Suci’s work elevates activities often dismissed as "women’s work" or "folk craft" to the level of serious philosophical and political inquiry.
Future Outlook: From Residency to Exhibition
Following the completion of her six-month residency in late 2025, Dian Suci will return to her studio to finalize a major new body of work inspired by her Italian experiences. This work will then be premiered in a solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, followed by a presentation at the Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
As the tenth winner, Suci joins an elite group of previous recipients, including Andrea Büttner, Laure Prouvost, and Helen Cammock, many of whom have gone on to win other major awards, such as the Turner Prize. Her journey from the artistic hub of Yogyakarta to the monastic cells of Assisi and the workshops of Puglia promises to produce a dialogue that is as much about the future of global art as it is about the preservation of ancient spirits. Through Suci’s "Crafting Spirit," the Max Mara Art Prize for Women continues to prove that the most profound artistic statements are often found in the quietest gestures of the human hand.
