In April 2026, artist Jiannan Wu’s work Feb. News was shortlisted as a finalist for The Sovereign Asian Art Prize. The shortlisted works will be presented in two exhibitions in Hong Kong: the first will take place from April 24 to May 3, 2026, at H Queen’s in Central; the second will be held from May 12 to May 15, 2026, at WKCDA Tower in the West Kowloon Cultural District, where Phillips Asia headquarters is located. Members of the public will be able to view the shortlisted works in person and participate in the Public Vote Prize either online or on-site.

The Sovereign Asian Art Prize is organized by The Sovereign Art Foundation. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Hong Kong, the foundation has long been dedicated to promoting international exposure for contemporary Asian artists. Through art prizes, exhibitions, and charity auctions, it also raises funds for art therapy and education programs supporting underprivileged children. As one of the most representative and influential annual contemporary art prizes in the Asia-Pacific region, The Sovereign Asian Art Prize not only recognizes artistic creation, but also continues to emphasize the connection between art, public value, and social care.

Jiannan Wu’s Feb. News was selected from more than 250 nominated works and entered the final list of 30 shortlisted artists. The prize operates through a nomination system by curators and galleries. All shortlisted works will be exhibited in Hong Kong, with public voting available both online and on-site. The artist who receives the most public support will be awarded the Public Vote Prize. At the same time, the shortlisted works will be sold and auctioned for charity, raising funds for The Sovereign Art Foundation’s art therapy programs supporting underprivileged children in Hong Kong.

Feb. News is based on the shell of a real 1990s vintage television set. Combining acrylic on resin with LED lighting, the work constructs a narrative space between sculpture, relief, and media installation within its dimensions of 32 x 45 x 33 cm. In this work, news is no longer simply a means of transmitting information, but becomes a staged, performed, and illuminated scene. The juxtaposition of mythological figures and cartoon characters also functions as a direct metaphor, revealing how we search for reality within a collage of fairy tales, entertainment, and propaganda, while often only reaching fragments that have been processed, filtered, and packaged. The adjustable lighting further reinforces this idea: when viewers turn the switch and change the color tones inside the television, it is as if they are also deciding which version of “truth” they are willing to believe.

Artist Jiannan Wu has long been concerned with how contemporary urban life, public events, and social images are viewed, circulated, and reproduced. Speaking about being shortlisted, Wu said: “Being shortlisted for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize—such an important award in Asia—is, for me, first of all a recognition of the work I’ve done so far, and also real encouragement to keep going. I’m very happy to be showing my work in Hong Kong—an important art context—alongside so many outstanding artists. It gives the work a chance to reach new audiences, and to be seen, understood, and discussed through a different lens.” He also expressed his gratitude to The Sovereign Art Foundation for providing this opportunity, to Gary Mok for the nomination, and to the jury for recognizing his work. Regarding the prize’s charitable mission, Wu added: “It reminds me that art doesn’t exist in isolation—it can connect to broader structures like education, public support, and social care. That feels especially meaningful to me, because it allows artistic practice to go beyond the work itself and link to a larger public value and social impact.”

Discussing his recent practice, Wu said: “In my recent work, one noticeable shift is that I’ve started paying much more attention to what the sculptural material itself can express. Compared to my earlier pieces, I’m using more metal and working at a larger scale. For me, this isn’t just a formal change—it’s also a way of pushing myself to rethink sculptural language itself. At the same time, the themes remain consistent: I’ll continue to engage with social events, as well as my own experiences and emotions.”

What makes The Sovereign Asian Art Prize distinctive is that it does not remain only at the level of artistic honor and market exposure. On the one hand, The Sovereign Art Foundation supports the international visibility of contemporary artists through its prize mechanism. On the other hand, through exhibitions, sales, and charity auctions of shortlisted works, it raises funds for its art therapy programs. The foundation’s Make It Better program supports children, caregivers, and social workers in underprivileged communities in Hong Kong through ongoing expressive arts workshops. For Jiannan Wu, this mechanism, which extends from artistic creation to public care, gives this shortlisting a significance that goes beyond personal recognition.

Text: Jianing Lu, Asian Art Contemporary
Image courtesy: The Sovereign Art Foundation