Helvetia Art Prize

Anita Mucolli (*1993) is the winner of the 2021 Helvetia Art Prize. The winner holds a Bachelor's degree from the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel. Inspired by Jonathan Crary's book "24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep", she uses various media and technical precision to tackle the issue of how late capitalist systems aim to penetrate even further into human biology and needs. The jury is impressed by the reflected, complex rendering of the subject.

In her latest work, "The Bank of Dreams" (2021), which is currently on show at the Plattform21 exhibition at the Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI) in Lugano, she addresses a future scenario in which capitalism is appropriating technological progress, entering the human subconscious and commercializing dreams.

In the foyer of the Palazzo Reali museum building in Lugano, which is architecturally reminiscent of a bank, Anito Mucolli has installed an ATM. It remains unclear in this ambiguous scenario between reality and fiction whether the machine is real or a work of art. The outer frame of the ATM is made of scagliola, which resembles marble. Its design picks up the classical style of the architecture. In the middle, a flat screen shows video ads for the bank and its innovative technology. Once the music and voice from the adverts are heard over the speakers, it emerges that this is no ordinary ATM, rather dreams are being sold here: test-driving your dream car, trying on special clothing, seeing loved ones again or even visiting alluring locations.

^{Anita Mucolli, The Bank of Dreams, 2021. Installation view Plattform21, MASILugano 2021. Photo: Mattia Angelini}