Today in New York: Celebration of Guadalupe Maravilla, the 2021 recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award

“We are incredibly happy to finally be able to celebrate The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award recipient here in New York,” says Tone Hansen, outgoing Director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. 

Guadalupe Maravilla (b. 1976, El Salvador) is a visual artist working and residing in Brooklyn, New York. Upon receiving the award in 2021, he said:

“I am truly honored to receive The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award. The award will enable me to further develop my practice as an artist and provide me with time to continue to create my own path.” 

In 1984, aged eight, Maravilla immigrated to the United States as an undocumented, unaccompanied child, fleeing civil war in El Salvador. When as an adult, he was diagnosed with cancer, Maravilla was treated with radiation and chemotherapy alongside his own healing practices and became cancer free. Both events have had an impact on Maravilla’s artistic practice and are present in his artworks. 

Currently he has two ongoing exhibitions in New York: Luz y fuerza at the Museum of Modern Art, and Tierra Blanca Joven at Brooklyn Museum.

 “Guadalupe Maravilla is an extraordinary artist combining political engagement with a powerful spiritual language. His work highlights several of the great challenges facing our society today,” says Hansen.

An exhibition at Henie Onstad and several acquisitions formed part of the Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme 2021. Presented bi-annually the award is intended to mark a significant milestone in an artist's career, whose work will inspire and motivate future generations to active participation and social responsibility. Guadalupe Maravilla is the second artist to receive The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award, which was inaugurated in 2019 with Otobong Nkanga as its first recipient.

For the first time in Europe, a selection of works by Guadalupe Maravilla was presented in a solo exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Norway between March 18 and August 7, 2022. Three works by Guadalupe Maravilla have been acquired for the Henie Onstad Collection as part of the 2021 Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award Programme: Disease Thrower #7 and I want to thank these magnificent fruits Retablo, as well as Disease Thrower #13, which was acquired together with the Lise Wilhelmsen Fund.

Today’s private reception is held by the Consul General of Norway, Heidi Olufsen. The artist will be present. 

Guadalupe Maravilla was selected as the recipient of The Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award by an international jury comprising María Inés Rodríguez, editor of Tropical Papers and Curator At Large at MASP, São Paulo; Michelle Kuo, The Marlene Hess Curator of Painting and Sculpture at MoMA, New York; Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director of MACBA, Barcelona; Paulina Rider Wilhelmsen, Tate International Council Member and Founder of LWAAP and Wilstar Social Impact, Oslo; Caroline Ugelstad, Chief Curator at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo; and Tone Hansen, outgoing Director of Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, appointed Director of MUNCH, Oslo and Founder of LWAAP.