Malani, one of the early video artists in India, has expanded her artistic practice to encompass theater, installations, paintings, and drawings. She is being acknowledged for her creation of "phantasmagorical spaces with accessible art forms" and her pioneering artistic expression that amplifies the voices of marginalized individuals and brings them to a broader audience, as stated in the press release. The release further highlights Malani's global impact as a non-Western artist and her significant contributions to the current reevaluation of Western-centric perspectives in the art world.
Having sought refuge in India during the partition of India and Pakistan, Malani pursued her art studies in Mumbai and Paris before returning to India. It was upon her return that she began addressing the socio-political issues prevalent in her homeland through her artistic endeavors. The Kyoto Prize, often referred to as Japan's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is an annual grant that recognizes outstanding lifetime achievements in the fields of advanced technology, basic sciences, and arts and philosophy. Each category is endowed with 100 million yen ($695,290).
Since its establishment in 1984, the Kyoto Prize has been bestowed upon notable recipients such as artists Nam June Paik, Tadao Ando, and Joan Jonas.
Nicolas Sarazin