Yann Pocreau Receives the Prefix Prize 6

Yann Pocreau, detail from Nuit d’été, le rayon tremblant, 2019. Courtesy the artist and Blouin Division (Montréal/Toronto)

Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce that the recipient of the sixth annual Prefix Prize is Yann Pocreau. A native of Québec City who lives and works in Montréal, Pocreau is a visual artist who explores the multiple dimensions of light through photography, sculpture and installation art. The prize, which is juried by a panel of art and photography professionals, is a core programme of the Contact Photography Festival.

As the recipient of the Prefix Prize, Yann Pocreau receives an exhibition, a publication, a residency, and a cash award of $5,000.00 CA. The exhibition, which is presented at Urbanspace Gallery, features an assemblage of new and recent works previously unexhibited in Toronto, including the world premiere of Les éclipses 1 (2026). Based upon a found photographic portrait of a man, the image of which is barely discernible through the effects of years of deterioration, this work offers a reflection upon the transient nature of human existence within the context of a vast and incomprehensible universe. The associated publication, produced by Prefix ICA, features a major essay by art historian Vincent Lavoie. Newly repositioned and redesigned as both a print and a digital publication, the publication will be launched in November 2026. The residency, a new component of the prize supported by Smokestack, provides the artist with creative, material and technical support with the realization of a limited-edition print.

The exhibition The Prefix Prize 6 by Yann Pocreau, curated by Scott McLeod with the Prefix Prize jury, opens to the public on Friday, May 1, 2026, at Urbanspace Gallery, located at 401 Richmond Street West, Ground Floor, Toronto. Gallery hours are from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Admission is free. The exhibition continues until Saturday, July 25, 2026.

An informal talk by Gaëlle Morel, exhibitions curator, The Image Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University, will be held in the presence of the artist on Saturday, May 23, 2026, 2:30pm at Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond Street West, Toronto. Presented on the occasion of Doors Open Toronto.

For the sixth annual Prefix Prize, the jury also recognized two artists—Gabriela García-Luna and Rula Halawani—with honourable mentions. Born in Mexico City and living in Saskatoon, García-Luna bridges the botanical and the cosmic in photo-based collages. Rula Halawani, a native of occupied East Jerusalem where she currently resides, draws upon her personal archive of photo-journalism to create a different form of bearing witness. Each artist receives a cash award of $1,000.00 CA.

The Prefix Prize is presented by Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in partnership with the Contact Photography Festival, Smokestack, Underline Studio and Urbanspace Gallery, and with the support of founding partner, Partners in Art.

About the Artist

Yann Pocreau, born 1980 in Québec City, is a visual artist who lives and works in Montréal. He holds an MFA in Visual and Media Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal. In his recent work, he explores the multiple dimensions of light through photography, sculpture and installation art. His work has been exhibited at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Musée regional de Rimouski and the Image Centre (Toronto), among others. His work may also be found in nearly twenty major collections, including the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and the municipalities of Laval, Longueuil and Montréal. He is represented by Blouin Division (Montréal/Toronto).

About the Prefix Prize

Launched in 2021, the Prefix Prize is awarded annually to photographic artists of any nationality. Designed to honour artists at any stage of their careers who have yet to receive the recognition they deserve, the prize recognizes one artist with an exhibition, a publication, a residency, and a cash award of $5,000.00 and up to two artists with honourable mentions consisting of cash awards of $1,000.00 each. The candidates for the prize are nominated by ten photographic arts professionals, newly appointed each year, while the recipients of the prize are chosen by a jury consisting of representatives of Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art and its partners, along with national and international representatives.

The sixth annual Prefix Prize was juried by Nathan Leung, designer, Underline Studio; Scott McLeod, director and curator, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art; Gerald McMaster, independent curator and professor emeritus, OCAD University; Tara Smith, programs manager, Contact Photography Festival; Louise Wolthers, research manager and curator, Hasselblad Foundation; and Jennifer Young and Caroline Laxton, co-chairs, Project Development, Partners in Art.

The candidates for the sixth annual Prefix Prize were nominated by Katie Addleman, curator, Photography and New Media, Canadian Centre for Architecture; Amin Alsaden, independent curator; Aileen Burns and Johan Lundh, co-executive director and CEO, Remai Modern; David Diviney, chief curator, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; Audrey Genois, director of curatorial affairs, Musée d’art contemporain de Montreal; Sophie Hackett, curator, Photography, Art Gallery of Ontario; Liz Ikiriko, curator, Gallery TPW; Bernard Lamarche, curator of contemporary art, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec; Monika Szewczyk, chief curator, the Polygon Gallery; and Tania Willard, director/curator, Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia.

Past recipients of the Prefix Prize include Julya Hajnoczky, Isabelle Hayeur, Chris Myhr, Andreas Rutkauskas and Karen Zalamea.

The seventh annual Prefix Prize will be awarded in May 2027.

About Prefix ICA

Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is a registered charitable organization, based in Toronto, that fosters the appreciation and understanding of contemporary photographic, media and digital arts through exhibitions, publications, public programmes and related activities.

Acknowledgements

Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art gratefully acknowledges the assistance of its staff, volunteers and patrons, as well as the Canada Council for the Arts. For their support of the sixth annual Prefix Prize, Prefix ICA gratefully acknowledges the nominators, jurors and Blouin Division (Montréal/ Toronto), as well as presentation partners the Contact Photography Festival, Smokestack, Underline Studio and Urbanspace Gallery, and founding partner, Partners in Art.

For more information, please contact Prefix ICA at prize@prefix.ca.