The Max Mara Art Prize for Women is entering a new phase, bringing in New York–based curator Cecilia Alemani to oversee its 10th edition and adopting a nomadic format that debuts with Jakarta’s Museum MACAN. As noted in ArtAsiaPacific’s “Weekly News Roundup: January 26, 2026”, the prize, launched in 2005 for women artists working in the UK and long tied to London’s Whitechapel Gallery, will now travel to a different country for each edition while still offering a six‑month residency in Italy and solo shows at the host institution and Collezione Maramotti.
The first stop in this expanded circuit, Museum MACAN in Jakarta, marks its initial collaboration in Southeast Asia and is accompanied by a jury chaired by Alemani that includes Museum MACAN director Venus Lau, curator Amanda Ariawan, gallerist Megan Arlin, collector Evelyn Halim and artist Melati Suryodarmo.
For artists in regions like Southeast Asia, the shift opens a more direct route into European networks of curators, collectors and institutions, and acknowledges that some of the most closely watched work on climate, labor and post‑colonial identity is emerging outside traditional Western art capitals.
Max Mara and Collezione Maramotti frame the change as both cultural diplomacy and long‑term support: instead of a one‑off prize moment, winners receive time, resources and guaranteed exhibition platforms, while the brand aligns itself with a global, equity‑focused art ecosystem rather than just front‑row fashion visibility.
