At ARCOmadrid, Spanish artist Mónica Mays wins the illy SustainArt award, dedicated to promising young talents in contemporary art

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Mar 08, 2024, 13:00 ET

The jury, made up of experts from the art world, selected the winner among 93 works by young artists from all over the world.
The 34-year-old Spaniard is represented by Blue Velvet Gallery.
The winning work, "In the Palm of His Hands", is characterized by the combination of elements from the industrial world and the natural domain.

MADRID, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mónica Mays, born in Madrid in 1990, clinched the XVII illy SustainArt Award with her project "In the Palm of Your Hands," backed by illycaffè in partnership with ARCOmadrid to bolster emerging artists.

Currently splitting her time between Madrid and Amsterdam, Mays pursued cultural anthropology at the University of New Orleans before graduating with honors from the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg in 2015. In 2017, she earned a Master's degree from the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam.

Mónica Mays' artistic oeuvre straddles sculpture, installation, and performance, delving into object symbolism through autobiographical narratives, historical archives, and material knowledge. With "In the Palm of Your Hands," she explores the symbolism of palm plants, drawing from biblical, paradisiacal, and ornamental imagery.

The jury, consisting of Patrizia Sandretto Rebaudengo (curator and founder of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation), Tania Pardo (Director of the CA2M Museum and the Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo), Ianko López (specialist journalist of Vanity Fair), and Carlo Bach (Creative Director of illycaffè), singled out Mónica Mays' work from the final 10, chosen from a shortlist of 93 candidates. They commended Mays for the vigor with which she blends diverse elements in her material exploration, combining industrial objects with elements from the natural and organic realms.

"Boosting the careers of deserving young artists is one of the goals that the company has set itself since it chose to support contemporary art," comments Carlo Bach, Creative Director of illycaffè. "After 17 years, the illy SustainArt Prize continues to grow and attract the interest of the many galleries that present stimulating projects, the artists who participate with enthusiasm and the visitors who are always during the event."

The award ceremony took place at the illy space of the ARCOmadrid International Art Fair. Attendees engaged in discussions on contemporary art, savored the illy blend, and explored the latest illy Art Collection by South Korean artist Lee Ufan.

The illy Space also showcased "Costas cuentes," crafted by Cristina Mejías, winner of the 2023 edition of the illy SustainArt Award.

illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans in the world. Every day 8 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafés, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafés and shops, at home and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors. Since its foundation, illycaffè has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Since 2013 the company is also one of the World Most Ethical Companies. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 125 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Università del Caffè which today holds courses in 25 countries around the world. In 2021, Rhône Capital became a minority shareholder of illycaffè with the aim of contributing to the company's international growth plans. In 2022, the company had 1230 employees and a turnover of €567,7 million. The illy single-brand network has 190 points of sale in 34 countries.

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