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Exhibition
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Finkenwerder Art Prize 2026
Tue.–Sun., 2–6 p.m. ICAT der HFBK Hamburg
The HFBK Hamburg cordially invites you to the presentation of the 2026 Finkenwerder Art Prize to Otobong Nkanga and the Finkenwerder Encouragement Prize of the HFBK Hamburg to Leyla Yenirce, followed by the opening of the exhibition. Speakers include Nawina Walker (Site Manager, Airbus Operations GmbH), Adolf Fick (Kulturkreis Finkenwerder e.V.), and Martin Köttering (President, HFBK Hamburg).
About the Awardees:
With solo exhibitions at MoMA New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Otobong Nkanga (born in 1974 in Kano, Nigeria) is undoubtedly one of the most renowned artists of our time. Her international significance is underscored not least by her participation in the current 61st Venice Biennale.
In her first solo exhibition in Hamburg, Otobong Nkanga focuses on two key research-based works. Contained Measures of a Kolanut is a multimedia installation exploring the cultural history of the Nigerian kola nut and its global influence. With the modular spatial installation Tsumeb Fragments, Nkanga offers a multifaceted account of The Green Hill mine in Tsumeb, Namibia, and how the hill has been irrevocably transformed since the sustainable extraction of various minerals from the soil by the Ovambo for their own use was supplanted by industrial mining under German colonial rule. Complemented by her impressive tapestries, documentary photographs, and videos, Otobong Nkanga uses this exhibition to create a space for reflection on landscapes, memories, individual consumption patterns, and the shifting of power structures during and after the colonization of the African continent.
Leyla Yenirce (born in 1992 in Qubînê, Kurdistan) earned her master’s degree in 2022 under Jutta Koether at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg. She is currently attracting significant attention in German and international art institutions, including the Landesmuseum Oldenburg, Museum Brandhorst in Munich, and Mudam Luxembourg, and is one of the most distinctive voices of her generation of artists.
Leyla Yenirce presents a large-scale version of her video and sound installationBeing Strong Is Hard. The video alternates between found footage of Kurdish freedom fighters, activists, and journalists and pixelated landscape shots in rapid succession, accompanied by a hard electronic beat. In doing so, the artist relentlessly confronts us with the difficult question: How can one resist military and media dominance and defend freedom? The women Leyla Yenirce depicts here have made their decision. It is immediately apparent that this is a difficult one, with all its implications.
Thursday21.05.26
Eröffnung
19:00 Uhr
Friday05.06.26
Artist Talk
+ – Artist Talk with Leyla Yenirce
in conversation with Yalda Afsah