The Rolex Mentor & Protege Arts Initiative Announces 2016-17 Finalists in Dance, Literature, Theatre and Visual Arts

Geneva - Following a worldwide search for the most outstanding young talents in dance, literature, theatre and visual arts, Rolex recently announced the finalists who will be introduced to the respective mentors - Ohad Naharin (dance), Mia Couto (literature), Robert Lepage (theatre) and Joan Jonas (visual arts) - in the 2016-2017 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

The finalists are currently being interviewed by the master artists, each of whom will select a protégé for a year of creative exchange and collaboration to begin in June.

The finalists for the programme's three other disciplines - architecture, film and music - will be announced in April. The mentors in these categories are Sir David Chipperfield, Alfonso Cuarón and Philip Glass.

"The chance to benefit from the experience of one of the world's greatest exponents in their discipline is an unparalleled opportunity for these young artists," said Rebecca Irvin, Head of Philanthropy at Rolex. "As in past cycles, mentors will find selecting a protégé challenging due to the calibre of the outstanding talents provided by the selection process."

The finalists in the four disciplines are:

DANCE

Londiwe Khoza, 22, South Africa

Peter Lenso, 24, Zimbabwe

Christopher Ofanoa, 22, New Zealand

Xanthe van Opstal, 23, Netherlands

LITERATURE

Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, 33, Portugal

Isabela Noronha, 35, Brazil

Julián Fuks, 34, Brazil / Argentina

Kalaf Epalanga, 38, Angola / Portugal

THEATRE

Roberto Cayuqueo, 30, Chile

Abhishek Majumdar, 35, India

Matías Umpierrez, 35, Argentina

VISUAL ARTS

Em'kal Eyongakpa, 34, Cameroon

Teresa Solar Abboud, 30, Spain

Phan Thao-Nguyen, 28, Vietnam

The finalists are selected by independent, anonymous nominating panels of influential artists and arts professionals who, after a rigorous global search, tap into their network of contacts and propose potential protégés who could benefit most from the programme. Application is by invitation only.

Each protégé will receive 25,000 Swiss francs to support his or her participation in the programme, with a further 25,000 Swiss francs available to create a new work at the conclusion of the mentoring year. Mentors are asked to spend up to six weeks with their protégés over the 12 months but the pairs are free to interact in whichever way suits them best. Rolex organizes all aspects of the programme from its Geneva headquarters.

The Rolex Arts Initiative is a biennial philanthropic programme created by Rolex to ensure the world's artistic heritage is passed from generation to generation, across continents and cultures. Since its launch in 2002, the initiative has built a remarkable artistic community that connects artists around the globe. Some of the world's most distinguished artists have served as mentors. They are: Margaret Atwood, John Baldessari, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Trisha Brown, the late Patrice Chéreau, the late Sir Colin Davis, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Olafur Eliasson, Brian Eno, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, William Forsythe, Stephen Frears, Gilberto Gil, Sir Peter Hall, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sir Anish Kapoor, William Kentridge, Ji?í Kylián, Lin Hwai-min, Toni Morrison, Walter Murch, Mira Nair, Youssou N'Dour, Jessye Norman, Michael Ondaatje, Alexei Ratmansky, Kaija Saariaho, Martin Scorsese, Kazuyo Sejima, Peter Sellars, Álvaro Siza, Wole Soyinka, Julie Taymor, Saburo Teshigawara, Jennifer Tipton, Kate Valk, Mario Vargas Llosa, Robert Wilson, Zhang Yimou, Pinchas Zukerman and Peter Zumthor.

Further information about the Rolex Arts Initiative is available at rolexmentorprotege.com.

Pictured: Theatre protégé finalists from left - Abhishek Majumdar, 35, India; Roberto Cayuqueo, 30, Chile; Matias Umpierrez, 35, Argentina.

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