BEYOND THE IMAGE ART PRIZE 2026
Beyond the Image Art Prize is an international Open Call dedicated to contemporary photography, video art, experimental film, moving images, and hybrid and installation-based practices. The first edition, titled “Who Are You Beyond the Image? Art, Neuroscience and the Algorithmic Narration of Experience,” explores the relationship between images and the perception of the self, bringing contemporary artistic research into dialogue with academic, scientific and cultural inquiry.
The prize originates from a research framework that, for more than ten years, has brought together researchers from Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, the University of Lausanne and the University of Lugano, alongside artists working at the forefront of contemporary image-making. Within this context, contemporary art is understood as a means of investigating the intimate relationship between human beings, thought and a society increasingly shaped by visual stimuli, technological transformations and social pressures.
At the centre of the prize is the image as a space of negotiation between perception and identity. In particular, the face is considered not simply as a traditional subject of portraiture, but as a representation of how we see ourselves, how we are perceived by others and how we construct an image of ourselves within society. The prize therefore approaches identity as a process situated between inner perception, external representation and the technologies through which images are produced, transformed and circulated.
The project brings together different perspectives and professional fields. The prize is promoted by Via Gluck 62 AIR, sponsored by Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele di Milano, and realised in collaboration with the University of Lausanne, StayOnBoard Art Gallery, Fondazione Bernareggi di Bergamo, Archivio Gabriele Basilico and All Art Contemporary, within the programme of Milano Centrale Festival 2026.
This interdisciplinary approach is also reflected in the composition of the evaluation board, which brings together curators, collectors, academics in the fields of art and neuroscience, and professionals from the cultural sector. The submitted projects were evaluated through an anonymised process, with independent scores assigned by the nine members of the jury and a final score calculated on an objective basis.
For its first edition, the jury selected Danilo Torre as Established Artist for Ucronia and Camille Roquet as Emerging Artist for Rememblur. A Special Jury Mention was awarded to Yasmina Chavanne for Venus. Together, the three projects approach questions of identity, memory, representation and technology through different forms of image-making, from archival and found-footage practices to 3D-printed forms, moving image, sound and video art.
The winning projects will be presented in Milan as part of the official programme of Milano Centrale Festival 2026, with the exhibition running from 2 to 30 October 2026 at Via Gluck 62, Milan
