Latin for ‘arts of the world’ as a reflection of our focus on social realities, the mission of Artes Mundi is to bring exceptional international art to Wales and to generate unique opportunities for individuals and local communities to engage creatively with the urgent issues of our time in ways which resonate with us all. We are committed to stimulating dialogue and debates, internationally and locally, that develop greater understanding of ourselves, of others, and of the relations between familiar and distant cultures.

Artes Mundi was founded in 2002 as an initiative by artist and cultural entrepreneur, William Wilkins CBE, to address a perceived lack of awareness of contemporary visual art in Wales and the risk-aversion in museums and galleries that led to its limited representation in their programmes. Our founding partners were the Arts Council of Wales, BBC Cymru, Cardiff Council, Amgueddfa Cymru, the Wales Tourist Board and the Welsh Development Agency, who shared our aim of bringing some of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists to Wales. We are best known for our international exhibition and prize which takes place in Cardiff every two years, one of Wales’ biggest and most exciting contemporary visual art shows. Typically, the number of artists selected for exhibition varies with each iteration and one of these shortlisted artists is awarded the prize of £40,000, the largest art prize in Britain and one of the most significant in the world.

Artes Mundi Prize Ltd is a registered charity. It is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising widely respected figures from business, the visual arts community and the wider cultural and professional sector. Each Board member serves, along with other volunteers, on one or more board committees addressing specific roles, in support of the affairs of Artes Mundi at planning and operational levels.

Artes Mundi Prize Ltd is a registered non-profit charity that annually relies on support from individuals, corporations, sponsors, trusts and foundations to fund the costs of all our programmes, alongside our core public revenue from Arts Council of Wales and Cardiff City Council.

This generous public sector investment in turn provides important leverage potential against a diverse range of private sources whereby Artes Mundi consistently annually raises close to three times this core level of support.

Artes Mundi is generously supported by the Arts Council of Wales and Cardiff City Council and offers its sincerest thanks to all of our supporters and longstanding partners.

We also express our immense gratitude to the many public and private supporters including Trusts, Foundations, Cultural Agencies, donors, sponsors and volunteers who provide essential funding toward our programmes.

Artes Mundi Prize Limited trading as Artes Mundi. Registered in the UK, company number 1097377, charity number 04239932. Registered office address, Room S01:13, National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP.