Würdigungspreis 2023 by the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research awarded to Henrie Dennis
Henrie Dennis due to her outstanding Fine Arts diploma achievements is awarded the “Würdigungspreis 2023” by the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research.
Dennis graduated with honors in June 2023, studying in the Studio for Post-conceptual art (IBK) prof. Marina Gržinić. Dennis is an art curator and activist focused on promoting the visibility, lives, and realities of queer Africans. She is the founder of Afro Rainbow Austria and co-chair of Planet10, a redistribution network that advocates for the sharing of privilege and resources among diverse groups. She is also a board member of D:Arts Vienna, Projektbüro für Diversität und urbanen Dialog.
The diploma work Will You Marry Me? offers a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of passport politics, marriage, and migration through the lens of an African lesbian migrant who has experienced both: a green passport that closes doors and a red passport that grants access. Marriage and migration are, at their core, tightly interwoven social constructs influenced by a variety of political, economic, and cultural factors. This artwork explores the interplay between these phenomena and illuminates how gender, race, and immigration policy shape the lived experiences of individuals and communities, revealing questions such as: What is your whiteness worth? Whose life is worth saving? Is my freedom of movement, access to health care, and life worth your passport? How do passports function as instruments of oppression? How are the histories of marriage and passports intertwined?