[BVLGARI] Three Finalists Selected for the 5th Annual MAXXI BVLGARI Award Bvlgari Japan LLC Press Release: October 30, 2025 To Members of the Media [Bvlgari] Three finalists selected for the 5th MAXXI BVLGARI Awards
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(From left) Bulgari Matteo Morbidi, Foundation President, Margherita Moscardini, Finalist Margherita Moscardini, MAXXI Artistic Director Francesco Stocchi, Finalist Azzi Diege, Emanuela Bruni, Vice President of the MAXXI Foundation, and Giulia Ferracci, Curator and Moderator of the MAXXI BVLGARI Prize. October 24, 2025 (Paris) – The fifth MAXXI BVLGARI Prize Awards ceremony, co-hosted by the Bvlgari Foundation, which has long promoted numerous talents to the international stage, and MAXXI (Italy’s National Museum of 21st Century Art), was held at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. Chiara Bersani, Azzi Diege, and Margherita Moscardini were announced as finalists for the fifth MAXXI BVLGARI Prize, a project to support and nurture young artists. This award, jointly organized by the Bvlgari Foundation and the National Museum of 21st Century Art, Italy, aims to support and nurture young artists and has previously launched many talented artists onto the international stage. The names of the three finalists were announced by Maria Emanuela Bruni, President of the MAXXI Foundation, Matteo Morbidi, President of the Bvlgari Foundation, and Francesco Stocchi, Artistic Director of MAXXI. Stefano Questioli, Cultural Officer at the Italian Cultural Institute, also introduced a speech by Director Antonio Calvi. Two of the three winning artists, Azzi Dieje and Margherita Moscardini, attended the event along with a representative of the jury. Chiara Bersani was absent due to the exhibition of a new work. In the fall of 2026, the finalists will exhibit site-specific works created specifically for this award at the MAXXI Museum in an exhibition curated by Giulia Ferracci. At the end of the exhibition, the jury will select the winning work, which will become part of the MAXXI Museum’s collection. Maria Emanuela Bruni, President of the MAXXI Foundation, commented: “Art is one of the languages through which a nation tells its story—its history and its ability to imagine its future. The MAXXI BVLGARI Prize helps shape that future through the vision, ideas, and challenges of Italy’s new generation of artists. This year, three women have been selected as finalists, embodying the full force of their intelligence and creativity. Promoting and promoting Italian contemporary art is our mission and a great responsibility. We are grateful to the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris for making this event possible, and to the Bvlgari Foundation, our long-standing partner with shared values, for their invaluable and unwavering support.” Matteo Morbidi, Director of the Bvlgari Foundation, commented: “This MAXXI BVLGARI Prize marks a particularly significant milestone for us. We are honored to announce that the Prize will become part of the initiatives promoted by the Bvlgari Foundation. Bvlgari has long supported artistic heritage and creative expression, and we established this Prize to ensure continuity and consistency in this commitment. Through numerous international initiatives, the Bvlgari Foundation fosters a lively and ongoing exchange of ideas among young talents. Building on our commitment and the spirit that has always animated the MAXXI BVLGARI Prize, we are proud to serve as a catalyst for promoting new expressions in contemporary art.” Finally, MAXXI Artistic Director Francesco Stocchi commented: “MAXXI, celebrating its 5th anniversary The BVLGARI Prize has proven its vital role in promoting Italian art and supporting explorations and challenges that reflect the most pressing issues of our time. An international jury composed of curators and directors from leading institutions in Italy and abroad selected Chiara Bersani, Azzi Diege, and Margherita Moscardini as this year’s finalists. Their work centers on the body, memory, and space as vehicles for identity construction. Today, a journey of research and dialogue begins in the MAXXI space. We will accompany the artists as they create new works, broadening the multifaceted image of Italian contemporary art and reinforcing the Prize’s role as a platform for supporting creativity.” 2026 5th MAXXI BVLGARI Award Finalist Chiara Bersani Born in Lodi in 1984, Chiara Bersani is a performer, choreographer, and visual artist working in the fields of performing arts, experimental theater, and contemporary dance. Her artistic explorations are rooted in the concept of the “body politic,” and she creates poetic and rich expressions by emphasizing the specificity of her own body. Her aesthetic is based on experimentation, challenging stereotypical images and representations of disability by clearly visualizing the uniqueness of the body. The jury had this to say about Bersani: “Her selection derives from her powerful transformative power. More than simply physical expression, her work transforms into a statement, an insight, and even a political agent. Her work, ‘Gentle Unicorn,’ is a symbolic example of an anarchic medium that subverts stereotypes of domination and beauty. Her work not only serves as a testimony of experience, but also activates spaces where physicality becomes an expression of resistance, fostering discussion and community building.” Aji Dieje Born in Milan in 1991, Diéger is a multidisciplinary artist based in Milan and Dakar. She explores how concepts of representation and identity shape the socio-political structures of the contemporary world. Through analysis of
advertisements, architecture, and national archives, Diéger examines the aesthetics that shape notions of self-determination and collective identity. Photography plays a central role in her work. It is both a versatile medium and a critical tool for questioning processes of representation and othering between Western and non-Western societies. The judging committee had the following to say about Diéje: “Her work blurs the line between documentary and creative writing, encouraging viewers to approach her homeland, Senegal, with a sense of positivity and responsibility. At the same time, she addresses political issues such as decolonization by layering events forgotten and erased from history. Photography also functions as a tool in a broader network of practices that communicates postcolonial landscapes, memories, and silences.” Margherita Moscardini Born in Livorno in 1981, she draws inspiration from the urban structure, social elements, and natural processes of change in specific regions, creating multidimensional works. Through her engagement with the law, she explores new ways of inhabiting space. Her work spans various fields, including
architecture, urban life, and citizenship. She aims to create sculptures conceived as habitable objects and spaces that distance themselves from the sovereignty of the nation-state in which they are located. The judging committee commented on Moscardini as follows: “Moscardini’s practice is based on a close fusion of theoretical considerations and concrete form. Her work explores not space itself, but the urban, architectural, and social meaning of that space. Classical style in her work is more than a mere historical reference; it becomes conceptual material to be deconstructed, reconstructed, and rethought in terms of the right to inhabitation, the relationship between inside and outside, boundaries and openness. She demonstrates how architecture shapes not only the physical landscape, but also our perception of ourselves and others.” MAXXI BVLGARI Award International Jury The international jury for this year’s awards consisted of Francesco Stocchi, Artistic Director of MAXXI; Micol Forti, Director of the Contemporary Art Collection at the Vatican Museums and Director of Rovereto MART; Adam Kleinman, Director and Chief Curator of the Trondheim Art Museum; Beatrix Ruff, Director of the Hartwig Art Foundation; and Rein Wolfs, Director of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. The jury selected the finalists from a list of candidates selected by prominent figures in the Italian contemporary art world, including curators, researchers, critics, and journalists. This year’s candidates were nominated by Lucia Aspesi, Matteo Vinci, Christian Caliandro, Frida Calazato, Toleti Galaxy, Emanuele Guidi, Dennis Isaia, Marta Papini and Anna Santomauro. History of the Award Established in 2000 as the “Premio per la Giovane Arte” (Award for a Great Artist), this award is a central part of the MAXXI collection. Over the years, it has served as a stepping stone for many artists. Past finalists include Yuri Ancalani, Giorgio Andreotta Caro, Massimo Bartolini, Vanessa Beecroft, Rossella Biscotti, Patrizio Di Massimo, Lara Favaretto, Marinella Senatore, Nico Vascellari, and Francesco Vezzoli. In 2018, the award was renamed the “MAXXI BVLGARI Award,” and with the support of Bulgari, it has grown even further, further increasing its presence in the international art scene. In the inaugural year of the awards, Thalia Chetrit, Invernomut, and Diego Marcón were nominated as finalists, with Diego Marcón winning the award. In 2020, the award went to Tommaso De Luca, who was also a finalist alongside Giulia Sensi and Renato Leotta. In 2022, the award went to Alessandra Fellini, who was also a finalist alongside Silvia Rossi and Namsal Siedrecki. The 2024 award recipient was Monia Ben Hamouda, who was also a finalist alongside Riccardo Benassi and Binta Diaw. The MAXXI BVLGARI Prize further strengthens the partnership between MAXXI and the Bvlgari Foundation, which is based on shared values of excellence, innovation, passion, creativity, and experimentation, as well as a recognition of the importance of supporting culture and the strategic role of public-private
partnerships. For inquiries: Bvlgari Japan 0120-030-142
https://www.bulgari.com/ja-jp/ For more information about this release
