Our 2025 Artist Grantees

Since we've introduced our 2025 Impact Grantees, along with some notes from the selection committee as to why they received their grants, it is high time that we did the same for our 2025 Artist Grantees.

The Artist Grant is a relatively new grant program, introduced last year, for emerging artists from underrepresented groups whose practice involves a form of collaborative, collective, or creative process that benefits their community.

These ten grantees were chosen by our Artist Grant Selection Committee: five industry professionals who know a thing or two about being an emerging artist:

You can read more about our selection committee here.

Abel Holsborough
@akidinlondon

Selection Committee: Abel Holsborough is an exceptional multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans urban architectural projects, photography, and community engagement. Their work demonstrates remarkable versatility and impact both nationally and internationally.

Ala Buisir
@buisir

SC: At a time when there is a pervading 'us vs them' narrative in society, Ala Buisir's work feels incredibly necessary in highlighting the unifying factors between us all and showing how art can be a medium for positive change. By raising awareness of migrant experiences, specifically those of women, she is countering racist misconceptions through her work while questioning the notion of belonging and home. The jury was incredibly impressed by her commitment to both community and storytelling as a vehicle for progress.

Azraa Motala
@azraamotala

SC: Azraa Motala is a gifted painter who plays a significant role in her community. She inspires young people to explore the arts while thoughtfully addressing issues of racism and class through her work.

Carolina Riaño
@canto.diaspora

SC: Carolina Riaño is a Colombian singer and vocal artist and the founder and director of Canto Diáspora, a vocal ensemble of 40 migrant women living in Berlin. Through song these women turn their migration stories into a shared voice that connects them to their roots, to new audiences, and to each other in a resilient act of community building. As director of Canto Diáspora, Carolina will continue to support this community to heal and be strong together through music.

Choco No End - aka John Mykel Ergar
@choco_no_end

SC: Performing under the name Choco No End, John Mykel Ergar is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in dance who uses his work to comment on social injustice and racial stereotyping. Through his practice he fosters collaboration within his community and empowers underrepresented youth to express their creativity through dance. He is a shining example of a community leader using his art to uplift others.

Jaeho Hwang - aka HWXXNG
@jaeho111111

SC: Jaeho Hwang/HWXXNG is a boundary-pushing artist whose experimental electronic music and visual art practice sits at the intersection of tradition and futurism. The jury were unanimously impressed by his drive to increase the visibility of East and Southeast Asian artists and the undeniable dedication he has towards furthering his own artistic endeavours.

Masta Quba
@mastaquba

SC: Fabiola Ledesma, aka Masta Quba, is a queer hip-hop artist from Mexico who brings her experience of rapping into collaborative and collective practices. Her workshops focus on empowering women, queer people, and young people who face systemic discrimination; creating space for community and resistance. Her dedication to social justice is evident in her work in prisons, with communities, and in her ongoing work to educate herself as a social worker.

mokeyanju
@mokeyanju

SC: mokeyanju’s work stands at the intersection of movement, poetry, community building, and the politics of care, shaped by her lived experience as a Nigerian woman navigating racism, precarity, and long-term caregiving. Through the groundbreaking Poetry Meets series and her curatorial and dance initiatives, she has cultivated a multilingual, intergenerational platform that amplifies underrepresented voices across Berlin and beyond. Her practice exemplifies how art can create spaces of belonging, healing, and cultural transformation.

Rafik Opti
@ispeakofrafik

SC: Rafik Opti is a talented artist whose practice explores intersectionality, decolonialization, anti-capitalism and Black trans liberation. Their work gloriously celebrates the communities they exist within, and each project is shaped with a strong sense of care. The jury were impressed by their clarity of vision and the expansive nature of their work.

Rawz
@rawzcreates

SC: Performing as Rawz, Rory Campbell’s multidisciplinary practice emerges from a life shaped by exclusion, resilience, and self-directed creative growth. From leaving school without qualifications to becoming an acclaimed poet and cross-disciplinary artist, his work channels lived experience into powerful explorations of interconnection, marginalization, and inner transformation. His unwavering commitment to representing underserved communities makes his artistic voice both vital and closely aligned with the mission of this grant.