Project Row Houses Names Southern Survey Artists and Prize Winner

by Jessica Fuentes November 2, 2024

Project Row Houses (PRH) in Houston has named the seven artists selected for this year’s Southern Survey Biennial and has named Nic[o] Brierre Aziz as the winner of the $25,000 prize.

In fall 2022 PRH presented the inaugural Southern Survey Biennial to create more opportunities for artists living in the South. The biennial is an open call for artists living and working in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Selected artists receive a $4,000 stipend to create an installation in one of the organization’s row houses, and one artist is awarded a $25,000 prize. The inaugural biennial featured works by Carlie Trosclair, Kandy G Lopez, Naomi Lemus, Rashayla Marie Brown (RMB), Rehab El Sadek, Sedrick E. Huckaby, and Victoria Ravelo, with Ms. El Sadek named as the prize winner.

A photograph of an installation by Violette Bule at Project Row Houses.

Violette Bule, “We can no longer be silent,” in Artist Round 57: Southern Survey Biennial at Project Row Houses.

The Southern Survey Biennial II, which features Rabeeha Adnan, from Richmond, Virginia; Nic[o] Brierre Aziz, from New Orleans, Louisiana; Coralina Rodriguez Meyer, from Miami, Florida; Violette Bule, from Houston, Texas; Amy Schissel, from Miami, Florida; Jamire Williams, from Houston, Texas; and Martín Wannam, from Durham, North Carolina; was organized by Cydney Pickens, PRH’s Curator and Programming Manager. The Dr. Dina Alsowayel and Tony Chase PRH Southern Survey Biennial Prize winner was selected by guest juror Kimberli Gant, who is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

A photograph of artist Nic[o] Brierre Aziz accepting a prize.

Nic[o] Brierre Aziz accepts the Dr. Dina Alsowayel & Tony Chase Southern Survey Biennial Prize. Danielle Burns Wilson, PRH Executive Director; Kimberli Gant, Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art; Nic[o] Brierre Aziz, Round Artist; and Cydney Pickens, PRH Curator & Programming Manager. Photo by Alex Barber.

In a press release, Ms. Gant explained, “Nico’s installation is a space that relates directly to what the Southern Survey is about, exploring his interpretation of what it means to be ‘southern’ and a part of ‘southern culture(s).’ He references so many historical and present-day issues about global exploitation, commodification, racial injustice, class, and American music culture, while offering a multi-sensory experience. It is a standout and one that viewers will remember.”

A photograph of a group of people looking at an installation by Nic[o] Brierre Aziz.

Nic[o] Brierre Aziz, “…as evil as bliss” in Artist Round 57: Southern Survey Biennial at Project Row Houses.

Mr. Aziz commented, “This award is coming at such an integral point in my artistic development, and it will help me greatly as I continue to sustain myself as a practicing artist. As an artist who has only shown outside of my hometown of New Orleans a few times, I am so grateful for this opportunity to share my work through PRH with the Third Ward and larger Houston community. I have been able to have firsthand experience with some of the dynamics within the art field that can sometimes pretend nothing noteworthy is happening outside of New York or Los Angeles — and I believe the Southern Biennial is thus so integral to disproving that myth.”

A photograph of artist Jamire Williams discussing his installation at Project Row Houses.

Jamire Williams discusses his multimedia installation “Antidote for a Reprobate Mind” in Artist Round 57: Southern Survey Biennial at Project Row Houses. Photo by Alex Barber.

The Southern Survey Biennial II is on view Wednesday through Sunday, from Noon to 5 p.m. through February 9, 2025. Learn more via the PRH website.

1 comment

Jesenia November 11, 2024 - 16:00

Congratulations Nico

Project Row Houses Names Southern Survey Artists and Prize Winner

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