The Prince Claus Seed Awards encourages “100 emerging artists by nurturing their personal and artistic development, amplifying the talent of a new generation of global changemakers. [. . .] The Seed Awardees are socially engaged artists and cultural practitioners who harness the transformative power of culture to create lasting positive change in their local communities.” Here are six of the awardees (from Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, and Venezuela).
Panama: Evalynn De Ycaza is a graffiti artist, visual artist, and cultural practitioner based in Panama. Her artistic practice is characterized by bold, contrasting colours and dynamic compositions, infused with the energy of the hip hop community.
Evalynn’s art emerged from the urban landscape, and over the years she gained recognition and secured opportunities that allowed her to continue decorating the city. She is the founder of Canvas Urbano, a project that portrays the city through various initiatives, and is also a member of La Búsqueda, an itinerant collective that fosters artistic connections with the community through cultural activations.
Jamaica: Rraine Hanson is a transdisciplinary artist based in Jamaica. They design worlds through mixed media to tell stories that centre the imaginations of queer and trans people of colour. Their visual language draws heavily on surrealism and the aesthetics of their Caribbean upbringing, continually exploring the question: what can be found in the crevice between our dreams and our memories?
In 2020, Rraine was awarded the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant for their short film “Mooncake”, which premiered at “e-flux” and has since been acquired by UCLA Film & Television’s queer moving image archive. [. . .]
Cuba: Hanzer González Garriga is a multidisciplinary artist based in Havana. Their artistic and cultural practices encompass four perspectives: videographer, film producer, archivist, and artistic researcher. As a videographer, Hanzer uses the political charge of decontextualised archival and found footage to question and subvert official history in response to their socio-political environment.
Hanzer is the manager of the production company del MONTE productions, with films screened at festivals such as Locarno, Mar del Plata, Oberhausen, Havana Film Festival, and Visions du Réel, among others. Hanzer has been awarded the Cuban Film Fund (FFCC) twice; the María Eugenia Hayas Photographic Research Grant in 2023, and the Juan Francisco Elso Research Grant in 2025. They are the creator of the “archivos del MONTE” project. [. . .]
Venezuela: Jaimar Marcano Vivas is an Afro-Venezuelan audiovisual producer, writer, and cultural manager based in Venezuela. After leaving her sociology degree due to the pressures of homelessness and work, Jaimar received a scholarship to study film directing and production. For the past eight years, she has worked professionally on creative and commercial projects, with a focus on experimental work, documentary photography, and film criticism. She is dedicated to chronicling urban life as a shared space for imagining the future.
Jaimar is co-founder of Manduca, an audiovisual studio that connects artistic narratives while exploring the economic viability of projects within the Venezuelan context. [. . .]
Costa Rica: Mónica Rivas Arce is a photographer and cultural manager based in Costa Rica. Her work explores urbanism, sociology, and decolonisation through memory and archives, with a focus on cultural spaces and coastal areas affected by gentrification.
Mónica’s project “mágenes y recuerdos públicos” was exhibited at the 2022 National Visual Arts Salon and received the 2024 Teorética Catalizador Grant. A graduate of Universidad Veritas, Mónica has taught at CETAV and led workshops on photographic essays and project production. Since 2020, she has coordinated audiovisual and 3D animation projects. In 2024, she held her first solo exhibition, “Gestos de apropiación y desaparición” (Oceanografías sensibles), examining gentrification over the past decade in Flamingo, Conchal, and Brasilito.
Haiti: Yvi is a visual artist and cultural leader based in Haiti. She specialises in sequin art and mixed media. Yvi’s work blends traditional Haitian craftsmanship with contemporary themes, exploring spirituality, identity, and social narratives.
As Chief Artistic Director of Payèt Design since 2018, she has developed innovative techniques that redefine Haitian sequin art. She is also the founder of Women Rise Collective, an initiative that empowers women entrepreneurs in Haiti through training and advocacy. Through both her art and leadership, Yvi champions creativity, resilience, and cultural innovation in Haiti and beyond.
For more information, see https://princeclausfund.nl/ and https://princeclausfund.nl/awards-and-programmes/seed-award
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/evalynn-de-ycaza
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/hanzer-gonzalez-garriga
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/jaimar-marcano-vivas
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/monica-rivas-arce
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/rraine-hanson
https://princeclausfund.nl/awardees/yvi
[Shown above: Videoart by Hanzer González Garriga (Cuba).]
The Prince Claus Seed Awards encourages “100 emerging artists by nurturing their personal and artistic development, amplifying the talent of a new generation of global changemakers. [. . .] The Seed Awardees are socially engaged artists and cultural practitioners who harness the transformative power of culture to create lasting positive change in their local communities.”
