Laser-Cut Sculpture Casts Intricate (Prize-Winning) Shadows

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Artist Anila Quayyum Agha has been awarded a historic total of $300,000 for winning both the $200,000 Public Vote Grand Prize and the $100,000 Juried Grand Prize at the ArtPrize international art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Known as Intersections, Agha's carved wooden cube sculpture bathes the walls of the its exhibiting room in floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall patterns.

"The push and pull between the popular and expert approaches to assessing art is what makes the parallel award structure so intriguing," explains ArtPrize Executive Director Christian Gaines. “Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen this conversation grow and change, showing us that it is possible to find a consensus, to find that sweet spot where popular and expert opinions coincide.”

A solitary light bulb suspended in the center of the cube is the source of Agha’s expansive projections. Her enveloping geometric designs emit the distinct aesthetics of Islamic art and architecture. As described by the artist, “[My] project takes the seminal experience of exclusion as a woman from a space of community and creativity…[it] translates the complex expressions of both wonder and exclusion.”

Thus far, Anila Quayyum Agha has completed 12 solo shows and participated in 41 group exhibitions. Find out more about Agha’s mission and work on her website, and to learn about the rest of the contest winners, check out Artprize's recent announcement. Below, Intersections, in all its intricate, laser-cut, prize-winning glory:

h/t My Modern Met

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