ArtDayME: Multidisciplinary Indian artist Nabla Yahya has been awarded the third Richard Mille Art Prize.

Yahya, a UAE resident, won with her installation titled SoftBank, which explores the brutal history of the construction of the Suez Canal between 1859 and 1869.

The installation is fitted with an interactive carousel of archival photographs of the construction and workers from France's Suez Canal Company. Some 1.5 million indentured labourers worked on the project, with thousands dying for reasons that ranged from exhaustion to cholera.

Yahya was selected by a six-member jury, including Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan; Dr. Souraya Noujaim, director of the Islamic Arts department at Musée du Louvre in France; Maya El-Khalil, independent curator and art advisor, former Founding director of Athr Gallery in Jeddah, and curator of Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2023; Clare Lilley, director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the selector of the annual Frieze Sculpture in London’s Regent’s Park 2012- 22; Dr. Guilhem André, acting director of Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management at the Louvre Abu Dhabi; and Mohammed Kazem, an Emirati artist previously shortlisted for the 2021 edition of Art Here.

The prize, organised between Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Swiss watchmakers, comes with a $60,000 award. Works by shortlisted artists are currently on display at the museum as part of Art Here 2023, which runs until February 18.

In a released statement, Yayha said: “I am deeply honored to receive the 2023 Richard Mille Art Prize. This recognition is a testament to the power of art to transcend boundaries and illuminate hidden histories. ‘SoftBank’ is not just an installation; it’s a dialogue between the past and the present, a reflection on the Suez Canal’s transformation. This award fuels my commitment to exploring untold stories and challenging perspectives through my work.”

Yahya was one of eight artists shortlisted to showcase her work, “SoftBank,” in the Louvre Abu Dhabi “Art Here” 2023 exhibition