The Hamad Butt Award

Article

The Hamad Butt Memorial Prize was established in 1996 through a generous donation from the Butt family.

Glass pendulumns floating on wires
Familiars Part 3 (cradle) - chlorine, glass, steel wire

Each year since then it has been awarded to a student of exceptional promise at the end of their second year of study on BA Fine Art.

About Hamad Butt

Hamad Butt was born in Lahore in 1962, graduating from Goldsmiths in 1990 before his untimely death in 1994. His installation-based practice pioneered a conjunction between art and science and his visually and conceptually striking and provocative work brought him quickly to recognition. In his short career he had a significant impact with solo shows at Milch Gallery, London (1990), John Hansard Gallery, Southampton (1992) and inclusion in the major group exhibition Rites of Passage at Tate, London (1995).

His work continues to be shown in group exhibitions which have included zerozerozero, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (1999) and Alien Nation, Manchester Art Gallery (2007). The artist’s book Familiars, in effect Butt’s final project, was published posthumously by iniVA in 1996 according to his instructions.

Award winners

2020
Sun Young Oh

2019
Hugo Hagger

2018
Hannah Job

2017
Francesco Palombi

2016
Garry Rutter

2015
Alex Margo Arden

2014
Maisie Dolan

2013
James Sturkey

2012
Catherine Zinovieff

2011
Maeve Brennan

2010
Tobias Zehntner

2009
Ali Eisa

2008
Catarina Oliveira

2007
Seth Pick

2006
Adam Christensen

2005
Alice Channer

2004
Tobias Sternberg

2003
Daniel Coopey

2002
Guo Liang Tan

2001
Bernd Behr

2000
Dafna Talmor

1999
Maibritt Rangstrup

1998
Kenny McLeod

1997
Claudio Guarino

1996
Leonida Sredich