Winner of the De’Longhi Art Projects Artist Award, Joachim Coucke, with De'Longhi and Sarah Monk, Director of the London Art Fair 2016 © Mark Cocksedge

Dea Vanagan joins the judging panel for the 2016 London Art Fair Art Projects Artist Award, sponsored by De’Longhi. Art Projects is a curated showcase of the freshest contemporary art from across the globe, featuring large-scale installations, solo shows and group displays. One artist exhibiting in Art Projects receives a cash prize of £2,500, assessed on the merit of their art practice and work on display at the Fair.

The 2016 winner is Belgian artist Joachim Coucke, exhibiting with NEST Gallery. The artist's prize-winning work 'Fishing the Pool', 2015, deals with the global influence of the internet, extending to themes of cryptocurrency.  By collecting 'light coins' (a development from Bitcoin) via an Ethernet cable connected to the internet, the work is ultimately challenging and scrutinising our relationship to currency and the trust needed for engaging with such intangible methods of finance. Coucke lives and works in Waregem, Begium, and is co-founder of DASH, an artist-run space in Kortrijk.

The artist was selected by a judging panel involving key art world figures from the areas of collecting, journalism, curating and education, and announced at the Fair during the Preview Evening on Tuesday 19 January. The Jury included:

• JJ Charlesworth, Publisher, ArtReview
• Adrian George, Deputy Director and Senior Curator, Government Art Collection
• Rebecca Morrill, Senior Editor, Phaidon
• Dea Vanagan, Chair, Macmillan De'Longhi Arts Programme

Neal Jones, UK and Ireland Country Manager, De’Longhi, comments, “De’Longhi is proud to be supporting the Art Projects Artist Award at London Art Fair 2016. We pride ourselves on innovative, modern design and we’re privileged to be able to reward an emerging contemporary artist and support their work as they develop their exciting career in the art world.”