Khandakar Ohida has been announced as the winner of the 7th Edition of the Jameel Prize.
The Jameel Art Prize, organized by Art Jameel and the V&A in London, is an international award taking place every three years, which aims to showcase artists whose work is inspired by Islamic tradition, in an effort to celebrate Islamic heritage in today’s modern world. The recipient of the prize will be awarded £25, 000. The international jury judging the Jameel Art Prize consists of Moreshin Allahyari and Ajlan Gharem, curator Sadia Shirazi, and academic Laura U. Marks together, and is chaired by Tristram Hunt, V&A Director. The winner was announced today at the V&A Museum.
Khandakar Ohida was selected from seven shortlisted submission from Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Jawa El Khash, Alia Farid, Zahra Malkani, Khandakar Ohida, Marrim Akashi Sani, and a joint submission by Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian. Ohida worked primarily with installation and archival work for her film project Dream Your Museum (2022), which won the Jameel Prize. Ohida displays objects from her uncle Khandakar Selim’s collection of objects and memorabilia amassed over the last 50 years, which were previously displayed in a traditional mud home. The work is a challenge to Western ideas of object value, turns the traditional concept of the museum on its head, while also serving as a chronicling of Muslim identity in India. Ohida has showcased work in the 12th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art in Berlin, Germany in 2022, at the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia in Venice in 2022, and most recently at MUDAM, The Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg in 2024. The film and installation Dream Your Museum (2022) will be on display with work from the cohort of shortlisted artists at the V&A from 30 November in the Jameel Prize: Moving Images exhibition.
Tristram Hunt, V&A Director and chair of the Jameel Prize judging panel, said, “The jury praised the quiet power of Khandakar’s beautiful cinematic work, ‘Dream Your Museum’. The film and installation of objects from her uncle’s vast esoteric collection speak to an experience of Muslim communities in India, and challenge the traditional authority of conventional museums.”
