Welcome to the Social Art Award 2025 – Online Gallery!
We are grateful for the many powerful contributions from artists across the globe. The selected works reflect the diversity of contemporary social art practices and address urgent issues such as climate and water crises, social and economic inequality, migration, conflict, discrimination, and the protection of human and more-than-human life.
Below you will find the submissions from the edition of 2024/2025 that passed the initial jury round. The Online Gallery offers public visibility to these works and supports dialogue around their themes; it does not replace the final jury decision.
Thank you to all artists for sharing your inspiring and committed work. We invite you to explore the gallery and engage with the perspectives shaping the Social Art Award 2025.
Éco makala
Baharanyi Benjamin
Benjamin Baharanyi, a native of Goma, immerses us in an alarming reality through his artwork: the deforestation ravaging the lands of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In his hometown, charcoal is omnipresent, used for generations as a cooking fuel—but at the cost of an endangered environment. With the city's expansion and ongoing armed conflicts, this phenomenon is intensifying, fueled by a charcoal trade originating from Virunga National Park, a natural treasure now under threat. The felled trees do not just vanish from the forest; they take entire ecosystems with them, leaving behind depleted land and a declining wildlife. Through this artwork, Benjamin raises a crucial question: how can we act against this destructive cycle? He does not merely seek to denounce the issue but to awaken awareness. His art, both powerful and filled with hope, challenges us: every individual action can contribute to preserving Virunga and slowing the impact of this crisis. As we contemplate this piece, we are not mere spectators but potential agents of change, invited to reflect on our role in protecting this natural and cultural heritage. Together, can we imagine a future where forests regenerate and become a symbol of resilience?
Benjamin Baharanyi, a native of Goma, immerses us in an alarming reality through his artwork: the deforestation ravaging the lands of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In his hometown, charcoal is omnipresent, used for generations as a cooking fuel—but at the cost of an endangered environment. With the city's expansion and ongoing armed conflicts, this phenomenon is intensifying, fueled by a charcoal trade originating from Virunga National Park, a natural treasure now under threat. The felled trees do not just vanish from the forest; they take entire ecosystems with them, leaving behind depleted land and a declining wildlife. Through this artwork, Benjamin raises a crucial question: how can we act against this destructive cycle? He does not merely seek to denounce the issue but to awaken awareness. His art, both powerful and filled with hope, challenges us: every individual action can contribute to preserving Virunga and slowing the impact of this crisis. As we contemplate this piece, we are not mere spectators but potential agents of change, invited to reflect on our role in protecting this natural and cultural heritage. Together, can we imagine a future where forests regenerate and become a symbol of resilience?