Rosana Paulino Awarded Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice
75Oct. 22, 2025
TheVera List Center for Art and Politicsat the New School in New York has named Afro-Brazilian artist, educator, and researcherRosana Paulinoas the recipient of the 2025–27Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice. Honoring outstanding achievements in art and politics and recognizing artworks that advance social justice, the prize took as its theme this cycle “Matter of Intelligence,” centering expanded notions of “intelligence” and the role of the arts in advancing social justice. Paulino was chosen for her 2016 artist’s book¿História Natural?, which places images of Brazilian flora and fauna alongside colonial photographs of Black women and Indigenous peoples, foregrounding the taxonomic construction of racial hierarchy in Brazil. She will receive a $25,000 cash prize and a limited-edition artwork commissioned by Yoko Ono. Paulino will additionally be the subject of a solo exhibition at the New School, to take place next October as part of the Vera List Center Forum 2026.
“We are thrilled to honor Rosana Paulino, whose practice has profoundly reshaped how we understand colonial legacies and their imprint on contemporary life,” said Carin Kuoni, senior director and chief curator of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, in a statement. “Her project¿História Natural?, which exposes the entanglements of science, race, and power, will be a catalyst for dialogue with our students, faculty, and publics and a cornerstone of the ‘Matter of Intelligence’ focus theme.”
Paulino was nominated for the prize by Brazilian curator Diane Lima, who is also organizing the artist’s presentation at the Brazilian Pavilion for the Sixty-First Venice Biennale. She was unanimously selected as the winner by an award jury chaired by Chus Martínez and additionally comprising Tony Albert, Carin Kuoni, Sennay Ghebreab, and Gabi Ngcobo. In a joint statement, the jury members praised Paulino for a practice that “challenges the false dichotomy between matter and thought, insisting that materials themselves can think, process, and transmit knowledge,” and lauded her for crafting “modest, mobile forms that carry immense weight—tracing the histories of colonization while offering pathways toward resistance and healing.”
Paulino was one of five finalists for the prize, alongside ArTree Nepal, who was considered for Tikā Chedna Angana; Stephanie Dinkins, nominated for Conversations with Bina48; Jason Edward Lewis, considered for Abundant Intelligences; and Jenna Sutela, nominated for nimiia cétiï. Nepal, Dinkins, Lewis, and Sutela have been named as 2025–2027 Jane Lombard Fellows.