art prize

Graduated from the Royal College of Art in London, after studying architecture in Brussels, Charles Kaisin has spent over twenty years exploring the processes that generate form. Early experiences in the studios of Jean Nouvel and Tony Cragg, as well as a research programme in Kyoto, deeply shaped his approach to folding and spatial experimentation, leading him to make origami one of his core creative languages.

His work revolves around key themes such as geometry, movement and recycling, transforming constraints into creative drivers. Multifaceted, he develops projects across object design, architecture and scenography, extending his practice from objects to large-scale environments.

He collaborates with leading houses including Hermès, Rolls-Royce, Delvaux and Pierre Marcolini, and teaches design at Saint-Luc in Brussels. He is also the creator of the Surrealist Dinners—immersive experiences blending gastronomy, performance and architecture—reflecting a universe that is both poetic and resolutely unconventional.

Duan Zhang de Courrèges is the founder of Duan Zhang de Courrèges Advisory, a consultancy dedicated to fostering dialogues between art, design and fashion. He lives and works between Paris, Arles and Venice, advising luxury houses and private collections on curation strategies, acquisitions and cultural development.

Educated across China, the United States and France, he has developed a cross-disciplinary and multicultural approach to artistic practices, at the intersection of art history, design and fashion. After several years at Saint Laurent and Jacquemus, where he led art curation projects and artistic collaborations, he founded his independent advisory to expand his vision of cultural consultancy.

He conceives and supports international curatorial projects, including the exhibition Mythes – Antique et Maillol at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris (2025) and the presentation of sculptures by François-Xavier Lalanne at Christie’s in New York (2024). A collector himself, he builds a transhistorical collection spanning Antiquity and contemporary art, and serves as a jury member for the ADIAF & Catawiki Emergence Grants and on the selection committee for the Prix Marcel Duchamp.

After 20 years leading the design agency V.I.T.R.I.O.L., he co-founded Maison Parisienne in 2008—a traveling gallery for French fine crafts, staging over fifty exhibitions across Europe.

In 2016, he advised H.R.H. the Grand Duchess Heiress of Luxembourg on establishing the De Mains De Maîtres biennial, where he now serves as General Commissioner. From 2019 to 2022, he also directed ELEVEN STEENS in Brussels, a space celebrating Art and Matter across design, crafts, and fine arts.

Today, as an independent curator, he leads craft and contemporary art exhibitions across France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. A former contributor to the Revue de la Céramique et du Verre, he frequently writes for exhibition catalogues and monographs.

Galila Barzilai Hollander holds a background in psychology and began her professional career in real estate development and hospitality, working with structures, spaces and human dynamics. In 2005, she turned towards contemporary art, marking the beginning of a deep and ongoing engagement with artistic practices.

Since then, she has developed an extensive collection driven by an instinctive and transdisciplinary vision, defining herself as an “artoholic.” In 2019, she founded Galila’s POC (Passion, Obsession, Collection), reflecting her personal and committed relationship to art.

Through collecting, she explores art as a space of dialogue and meaning, supporting artists and promoting art as a universal language.

Shinsuke Kawahara studied Fine Arts at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. He began his career as a visual artist and creative director before expanding his practice into design and scenography, developing a multidisciplinary approach at the intersection of art, spatial environments and object design. Since the 1980s, he has worked internationally between Japan, France and the United States, collaborating with leading houses such as Hermès, Pierre Hardy, Christofle, Fabergé and L’Oréal.

Alongside these collaborations, he has developed a singular artistic practice, notably through his iconic rabbit figures and immersive installations. His work has been exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin, the Nishi Honganji temple in Kyoto and ELEVEN STEENS in Brussels. He has also realised large-scale projects including video mapping for the Uminomori Aquarium in Sendai and a stained-glass tea pavilion at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. In parallel, he develops architectural and interior projects, while currently working on ceramic wall installations in collaboration with architects.