BMW ART MAKERS programme 2026 announces artist Lara Tabet and curator Yasmine Chemali as winners. A research-led artistic collaboration offering new perspectives on contemporary imagery, marking the bicentenary of photography from its invention by Nicéphore Niépce to its ongoing influence on contemporary artistic practice.

Paris/Munich. Artist Lara Tabet and curator Yasmine Chemali have been named winners of the BMW ART MAKERS programme to develop their project “Le corps vitré”. This artistic project is a new experiment and the result of their collaboration. The programme will culminate in two original exhibitions at Les Rencontres d'Arles and Paris Photo, further strengthening BMW's long-standing partnerships with both events.

The jury was composed of Pascal Beausse (Head of the Photography Collection at the Centre National des Arts Plastiques), Florence Bourgeois (Director of Paris Photo), Andreina de Bei (Photo Director and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sciences et Avenir), Hervé Digne (President of Poush-Manifesto), Chantal Nedjib (Founder of Image par l'image), Christoph Wiesner (Director of Rencontres d'Arles), and Maryse Bataillard (Head of Corporate Communications and CSR at BMW Group France).

The "Le corps vitré" project.
“Le corps vitré” is a research and creative project led by artist and biologist Lara Tabet, in collaboration with exhibition curator Yasmine Chemali, which will be developed as part of the BMW ART MAKERS programme. At the crossroads of art, biomedical sciences and ecology, the project explores the relationships between living beings, images and the environment through an experimental process of bacteriography. Using microbiological samples taken from aquatic environments located at the interface between natural spaces and industrial infrastructure, Lara Tabet develops images resulting from the direct interaction between micro-organisms and photosensitive surfaces.

This protocol, at the crossroads of scientific research and artistic creation, makes the images the result of a co-production between the artist and living organisms, where time, light and micro-ecosystems become active agents of form.
For the exhibition produced by BMW ART MAKERS, these imprints of life are transposed into contemporary stained-glass windows, making a transition from the biological to the mineral, via the digital, and inscribing the images within a longer, more enduring timescale. Combining photography, glass and light, Le corps vitré questions the ability of images to make often invisible ecosystems visible and to become a tool for highlighting current environmental issues.

Upon the announcement of their appointment, artist Lara Tabet and curator Yasmine Chemali stated: "We are delighted with this appointment, which recognises a long-standing collaboration fuelled by a shared migratory journey from Beirut to the south of France. On the occasion of the Bicentenary of Photography, we are delighted to be able to develop a project that questions the permeability of bodies through a feminist approach that decentres the human scale while celebrating the hybrid nature of the photographic medium, right from its origins. The BMW ART MAKERS programme, which emphasises collaborative work carried out by a duo, seems to us to be the ideal context for bringing to fruition a curatorial and artistic project that resonates with the challenges of life, image and contemporary ecologies.”

The BMW ART MAKERS programme will make this project possible. 
"At BMW, we firmly believe that arts patronage is an essential source of innovation and cultural expression. This award, which supports both the artist and the curator, illustrates our desire to support ambitious and innovative projects that push the boundaries of contemporary creation. For BMW, this programme is much more than just financial support: it is a commitment to promoting diversity of talent and actively participating in the artistic dynamic, while fostering a fruitful dialogue between art, science and society. By offering this framework of freedom and resources, we enable artists to bring to life works that enrich our view of the world and inspire future generations," said Maryse Bataillard, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR, BMW Group France.

More than 210 applications were received for this new edition.
Each year, the projects received during the call for applications reflect the trends and topics explored by artists. Out of more than 210 submissions, the five finalist duos selected were required to provide a statement of intent, a budget, a production schedule, a set design proposal and portfolios of their previous work.
The projects presented revealed a wide variety of profiles and works, with 63 per cent mixed duos, 25 per cent female duos and 12 per cent male duos.
Nearly half of the duos were French, with the other half comprising international artists and curators from more than 36 countries.

This year's submitted projects address a variety of themes, focusing on the environment, people, living things, memory and history, with a strong link to the bicentenary of photography, which inspires reflections on its heritage and evolution. They showcase a wide variety of practices, ranging from traditional photography to contemporary technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality. The formats combine photography, sound, video and installation, exploring both the photographic medium and innovative narrative and spatial experiences. This edition confirms the focus on diversity and the evolution of visual practices.

The initial selection of projects was made by a preliminary jury of visual arts professionals comprising Fabrice Laroche (Editor-in-chief of Fisheye Magazine), Maud Prangey (Image and Contemporary Art Consultant, Marie Valat (Marie Valat Agency and Head of Contemporary Art Exhibitions for Maison Auguste Comte), and Emmanuelle Vieillard (Exhibition Curator at the Nicéphore Niépce Museum).

The preliminary jury selected five nominated artist-curator duos to be interviewed by the main jury:

• Amr Alfiky (artist), Azu Nwagbogu (curator) with the project Recuerdos del Mar: Memories of the Sea
• Marta Bogdanska (artist), Emmanuelle Halkin (curator) with the project Animae
• Charlotte Charbonnel (artist), Léa Bismuth (curator) with the project Paléorama
• Nicolas Lebeau (artist), Aden Vincendeau (curator) with the project Silver Lining
• Lara Tabet (artist), Yasmine Chemali (curator) with the project Le corps vitré

Biographies of the winners

Lara Tabet, artist.
Lara Tabet is a Lebanese medical biologist and visual artist based in Marseille, whose work combines life sciences, technology and visual arts. She uses experimental photography, bio-art, video, installation and sculpture to transform scientific protocols into creative tools, exploring the interactions between biology, technology and the environment. Trained in clinical pathology in Beirut and photography in New York, she has exhibited internationally and received several awards, including the Prince Claus Mentorship Award in 2022. A laureate of the European STARTS for Water II programme, she has participated in various artist residencies and taught photography in Beirut and Salzburg.

Yasmine Chemali, curator.
Trained in art history, museology and heritage conservation at the École du Louvre and EHESS, she has been developing a curatorial practice focused on photography, archives and contemporary issues of representation for over ten years. She has directed the Fouad Debbas collection, specialising in 19^th and 20^th century photography, and was responsible for the modern and contemporary art collections at the Sursock Museum in Beirut (2014-2020). Since 2020, she has been director of the Centre de la Photographie de Mougins, created to promote contemporary photography through exhibitions, residencies and publications.

Her curatorial approach highlights minority narratives and images as tools of power and resistance, favouring understated presentations that encourage a sensitive reading of the works. At the same time, she works as an independent curator and participates in conferences, while also sitting on the board of directors of the SARADAR private collection in Beirut.

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