Otobong Nkanga to Receive Sikkens Prize 2026, with Solo Exhibition at Singer Laren
Otobong Nkanga (born 1974, Kano, Nigeria) will receive the Sikkens Prize 2026 on October 26, 2026, the Sikkens Foundation announced July 10, 2026. The prize honors an artist or collective pioneering in the field of color. For the first time, the foundation is also staging an exhibition for the laureate: Nkanga's solo show 'Humus Blues' opens at Singer Laren on October 27, 2026, and runs through February 28, 2027, featuring sculptures, textiles, drawings, paintings, photographs, and poetry. The jury recognized Nkanga for revealing the origins of color in earth, community, and life itself, aligning with the Sikkens Prize's mission.
The Signal
The award underscores the growing institutional recognition of Nkanga's practice, which examines the material and political dimensions of pigment and extraction. Her work, shown at venues from the Louvre to the Venice Biennale, positions color as an active agent connecting bodies, landscapes, and global systems. The simultaneous exhibition at Singer Laren offers collectors and curators a focused survey of her evolving practice, while monumental works are also slated for the AkzoNobel Art Foundation's 30-year anniversary show 'ReflAction' in Amsterdam, broadening her institutional footprint in the Netherlands.
- Artists: Otobong Nkanga
- Museums: Singer Laren
- Locations: Laren
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