The works of the finalists in the second edition of the Mario Merz Prize were presented on March 8, 2017: first, at 6 pm with the opening at Fondazione Merz of the exhibition dedicated to the five finalists in the art section, and later, at 8: 30 pm, at the Biblioteca Civica Musicale Andrea Della, with the concert by the finalists in the music section.

The featured artists – Francesco Arena, Petrit Halilaj, Gili Lavy, Shahryar Nashat and Suha Traboulsi – were shortlisted as finalists by members of the pre-selection panel Marisa Merz (artist), Nicholas Cullinan (Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London) and Claudia Gioia (independent curator). The exhibition – curated by Beatrice Merz – showcases the finalists’ works, which have been selected among their most significant pieces.

The public is invited to vote for their favorite artist by visiting the exhibition or logging into this website to view the artwork online and take part in the voting process. The public vote will be added to the votes cast by a Final Jury, whose members are: Manuel Borja-Villel (Director Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid), Massimiliano Gioni (Head Curator New Museum, New York – Art Director Fondazione Trussardi, Milan), Lawrence Weiner (artist), and Beatrice Merz.

The winning artist will exhibit his or her work in a solo show to be set up in the exhibition spaces of the Fondazione Merz in Turin and Switzerland.

The  concert, organized by the Fondazione Merz in collaboration with the Biblioteca Civica Musicale “Andrea Della Corte”, was held in the setting of the Eighteenth-century Villa La Tesoriera: it was conducted by Willy Merz and performed by the DE SONO Futura Ensemble a in partnership with the Associazione DE SONO.

The finalists in the Music Section, Gabriele Cosmi, Geoffrey Gordon, Pierre Mariétan and Catherine Milliken, were selected by a panel composed of Giacomo Agazzini (violinist and teacher at the Conservatorio G. Verdi of Turin), Stefano Pierini (composer and teacher at the Centro di Formazione Musicale in Turin) and Philip Samartzis (sound-designer and lecturer at the University of Melbourne).

Also for the Music section, the public can express its preference when visiting the Fondazione Merz or by logging into this website.

The public vote will be added to the votes cast by the Final Jury, whose members are: Dieter Ammann (composer), Thomas Demenga (cellist and composer), Alexander Lonquich (pianist) and Willy Merz.

The winning composer will be commissioned a music piece for a gallery space and a composition, which will be performed in Turin and Switzerland.