Scholarship created to "strengthen female presence in the arts" has ten finalists

" Unfortunately, there is still a lot of inequality between genders in the arts sector, meaning women are still very underrepresented in galleries and museums," said Astrid Sauer, one of the project coordinators contacted by Lusa news agency.

The scholarship, worth 27 thousand euros, is the result of a partnership between Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet and Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet, in partnership with SOTA -- State of the Art and Portugal Manual.

Astrid Sauer, general director of SOTA, a cultural marketing agency, told Lusa that the unprecedented scholarship is aimed at women living in Portugal, over eighteen years old, whose work is not represented by galleries.

The support covers areas such as visual arts, crafts, design, sculpture and textiles, and, in addition to financial support, offers training with specialists and a professional communication strategy.

For this edition, 210 applications were received and ten finalist competitors were selected: Ana Leça (painting, installation, drawing), Beatriz Narciso (painting), Elizabeth Prentis (performance, sculpture, installation), Flávia Costa (drawing), Ilfu-Soi Studio (Jéssica Ilfu-Soi, with sculpture), Joana Dionísio (photography), Joana Paraíso (painting, drawing), Patrícia Pettitt (photography), Vânia Reichartz (textile, installation, sculpture) and Vera Fonseka (painting and collage).

Opened in May, the competition selected ten finalists at the end of June who had the opportunity to participate in 'masterclasses' in various areas, namely communication and social networks, management and financial sustainability, artistic identity and professional presentation, to obtain training along their path.

By September 30, all finalists will present their project, which will be evaluated by a jury. In mid-October, the winner will be chosen. They will receive 5,000 euros for the production of the work, and will be put in contact with a network of professionals in the arts sector. An exhibition of their work is also planned for 2026.

"This is a project for emerging female artists with the very specific objective of strengthening the female presence in art and culture, offering financial support, but also mentoring and visibility for female artists in Portugal," she highlighted.

Astrid Sauer said that in 2022 "only 9% of the global auction market was occupied by works by female artists, and there are also glaring differences in the prices of works sold, as the average selling price is more than 40% lower than that of male artists."

The Austrian-born coordinator, who lives in Portugal, further reinforced this context by indicating that, "globally, between 2008 and 2019, of the 197 billion works of art sold at auction, women sold only 2%."

"We're talking about such a big difference that we felt we had to do something about it. We want to help and empower female artists. And there's a lot of talent in Portugal," said the person responsible for coordinating the initiative, along with Filipa Belo of Portugal Manual and Catarina Tomaz, representing Freeport Lisboa e Vila do Conde Porto Fashion Outlet.

On the other hand, the organization invited visual artist Joana Vasconcelos -- "one of the most successful artists in Portugal" -- to join the initiative, becoming an ambassador for this first edition.

Today, Joana Vasconcelos will lead a 'masterclass' as part of the project.

"Joana Vasconcelos has helped us a lot in promoting this grant because she is living proof that hard work and talent can achieve results. As a female artist, she has publicly stated that she has faced many difficulties throughout her career," she noted, managing to boost her work through a grant won through the EDP Foundation.

When asked by Lusa about national figures on this gender inequality in the cultural sector, Astrid Sauer responded that, "unfortunately, in Portugal there are few such statistics in the arts sector, but there are many at a global and European level that demonstrate this inequality."

However, the person in charge has observed that "the new generations already show a new attitude towards the works of female artists, and are much less conservative."

The WAF organization hopes to continue to offer the scholarship annually and provide support to all ten finalists in various areas, in order to "create a network of contacts and support" for female artists.

The scholarship is part of the cultural sustainability strategy of VIA Outlets, owner of the two shopping centers involved, and aims to promote a positive impact on communities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, according to the organization.

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