Degussa and Monopol magazine present the five shortlisted artists for the Young Generation Art Award at Frieze London

This year marks Degussa Goldhandel’s first appearance at Frieze with the award, featuring a major solo exhibition by the inaugural prize winner Thuy Tien Nguyen, whose work convinced the jury in 2025.

The new 2026 shortlist was unveiled yesterday at the opening of the fair. The nominees are Yuhao Chen, Lunita July Dorn, Arne Grashoff, Emmélie Lempert and Ken Nwadiogbu. They were selected from nearly 400 submissions – a strong indication of the high level of interest among emerging artists in the award.

The five positions will be featured in the November issue of Monopol magazine. From November 28, their works will be presented in a joint exhibition at the Degussa branch in Berlin, Französische Strasse 48.

“It is a significant milestone to debut at Frieze London with the first award winner already in the second year of the Young Generation Art Award. This internationally important presence highlights the relevance and sustainability of our commitment to the arts,” says Christian Rauch.

“The Young Generation Art Award has generated enormous interest among young artists and clearly strikes a chord,” says Elke Buhr. “I am delighted by the diversity and quality of the submissions – and look forward to presenting the five most outstanding positions in Monopol.”

The Young Generation Art Award is endowed with €10,000 for first place; each shortlisted nomination is additionally awarded €3,000. An expert jury will once again select the winner for 2026 from the five finalists. The jury consists of Yilmaz Dziewior, Maya Heckelmann and Elke Buhr.

Short biographies of the nominees

• Yuhao Chen (born 1991, China) studied at the China Academy of Art and at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, where he graduated in 2023 as a master student under Anke Doberauer. He lives and works in Munich.
• Lunita July Dorn (born 1999, Berlin) has been studying at Kunsthochschule Weißensee since 2020 in the class of Friederike Feldmann. She lives and works in Berlin.
• Arne Grashoff (born 1995, southern Germany) studied communication design in Stuttgart and later photography under Heidi Specker at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig. Since 2025, he has continued his studies at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he also lives.
• Emmélie Lempert (born 1998, Bonn) studied psychology at Humboldt University of Berlin before studying fine art at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where she graduated in 2024 under Peter Piller. She lives and works in Bonn and Berlin.
• Ken Nwadiogbu (born 1994, Lagos, Nigeria) initially studied engineering before turning to art. He completed a Master’s degree in painting at the Royal College of Art in London, where he lives and works.

With the Young Generation Art Award, Degussa – in cooperation with Monopol – supports the next generation of artists and sets an important example for artistic quality and diversity within the emerging European art scene.

Further information:
Degussa Holding AG, Oberneuhofstrasse 12, 6340 Baar, Schweiz,
Andrea Haener, E-Mail: presse@degussa.com

Res Publica Verlags GmbH, Fasanenstrasse 7–8, 10623 Berlin, 
Elke Buhr, E-Mail: buhr@monopol-magazin.de