Ana María Gómez López, Inoculate. Wagenigen University Electron Microscopy Center.

CIFO-Ars Electronica Awards

Linz, Austria

Launched in 2022, the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) — Ars Electronica Awards celebrate and advance the practices of emerging and mid-career Latin American artists working with technology in the field of new media and digital art, providing up to $30,000 per recipient to develop a new project. The works are premiered in the annual Ars Electronica Festival and in addition, the resulting works join the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO)’s renowned permanent collection of modern and contemporary art, with a special focus on Latin American art. 

“The CIFO-Ars Electronica Awards are a wonderful way to celebrate our 21st year as a resource for emerging artists, a commissioner of new work, and advocate for Latin American artists worldwide. These new awards and our partnership with Ars Electronica add an important dimension to our mission and to our Grants & Commissions Program as we support artists in expanding their practices and extending the impact of their work.”  - Ella Fontanals-Cisneros, Founder and Honorary President of CIFO

“This collaboration brings a number of really strong artists and projects to the audiences of Ars Electronica. It is not only an exciting window into the very innovative Latin American art scene, but also a highly valuable source of inspirations and ideas to approach the big challenges of our time,” - Gerfried Stocker, Co-CEO and Artistic Director of Ars Electronica.

An advisory committee of more than 50 leading scholars, curators, and artists from approximately 20 countries nominated Latin American artists to apply, regardless of their country of residency. The award recipients are chosen by a selection committee of curators and scholars in contemporary art and new media: Tania Aedo, Coordinator of the Department of Art and Technology at National Autonomous University of Mexico; Christl Baur, Head of the Ars Electronica Festival; Sergio Fontanella, Director of Operations and Collections at CIFO; Martin Honzik, CCO and Managing Director of Ars Electronica Festival, Prix, and Exhibitions; and Hemma Schmutz, Director of the Lentos Art Museum, Austria.

Ars Electronica is a cultural institution, an educational facility, and an R&D lab based in Linz, Austria. Like no other institution, Ars Electronica represents a comprehensive approach in the confrontation with techno-cultural phenomena and enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence. It is comprised of four divisions: the Ars Electronica Festival, the Prix Ars Electronica, the Ars Electronica Center, and the Ars Electronica Futurelab. These four divisions mutually inspire one another, constituting a circuit of creativity: The FESTIVAL as test environment and the PRIX as competition of the best and brightest—both of them international, artistic, experimental, and focused on the leading edge; the CENTER as year-round presentation & interaction platform—local, educational, and entertaining; and the FUTURELAB as R&D facility—innovative, creative, endowed with strong technical competence and implementation skills, and linked up to a global network of universities and research facilities.

For more information about Ars Electronica and the Ars Electronica Festival, visit ars.electronica.art or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.