ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE RABANNE ARTS FACTORY POWERED BY DAZED

For 58 years, art has been an integral driving force behind Rabanne’s mission to galvanize a more visionary, creative, and inclusive future.In 2023, the Maison continued this legacy with the creation of the Rabanne Arts Factory powered by Dazed: A worldwide search for the next generation of digital image-makers.In a call for entries across the Rabanne and Dazed media platforms last year, participants were asked to submit their images with a brief to “visualize new realities”. Rabanne then announced an unprecedented partnership with Art Basel, the world’s most renowned contemporary art fair.As part of this collaboration, at Art Basel: Basel in June 2024, the Maison’s Artistic Director, Julien Dossena and Co-Founder of Dazed Media, Jefferson Hack, appeared in a panel discussion entitled “The Rabanne Arts Factory: Opening Spaces for New Imagery”. Today, Rabanne is proud to announce the Rabanne Arts Factory first winner, selected from six finalists from three world-renowned art schools (Central Saint Martins in London, Ecole Duperré in Paris and Istituto Marangoni in Florence) as well as from Dazed Club and Community, who merge traditional and digital art practices to deploy technology as a means of storytelling.Following a round table discussion among the program’s judges, Julien Dossena, Jefferson Hack, curator and writer Venus Lau, and fellow curator Claude Adjil, the panel have named Lucy Ellis as the final winner.

THE RABANNE ARTS FACTORY WINNER

Lucy, an experimental animator studying for a BA in Fine Art with Creative Computing, uses her work to explore the physical proximity between humans and devices.Using scrap and found materials to craft new identities and narratives, Lucy explores themes of image compression and quality, errors in the digital frame, obsolete technology and the contrast between technophilia and technophobia.Her work questions our connection to the moving image in a digital age, touching upon the ephemeral nature of existence while creating immersive experiences that resonated deeply with the Arts Factory judges.

As the Rabanne Arts Factory winner, Lucy will showcase her work at Art Basel Miami Beach from 6th-8th December, creating her own distinct universe in a 40 square meter space in the Grand Ballroom Public Lounge. Throughout the fair, visitors will have the opportunity to watch Lucy create art in real time as she live-edits animated works. As well as gaining visibility and showcasing her art on a global stage at Art Basel Miami Beach, Lucy will receive a financial reward to support her future as an artist.

“It was a pleasure to hear the thoughts and analyses of Claude, Venus, and Jefferson. We all agreed that the original universe of Lucy Ellis, already so complete, was the right one to be the winner.”

Julien Dossena, Artistic Director, Rabanne.