Nadia Myre of Quebec wins 2014 Sobey Art Award

Nadia Myre, an aboriginalmultidisciplinary artist from Quebec, has won the $50,000 Sobey Art Award, one of Canada's most prestigious visual art awards.

Organizers announced Myre, a member of the Kitigan ZibiAnishinabeg First Nation north of Gatineau, Que.,as this year's winner at a gala event Wednesday night at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

"Myre has built a distinctive visual vocabulary by translating her experience and that of others into works that employ traditional crafts within a contemporary, multidisciplinary practice," a statement from the Sobey Art Award jury reads in part.

"Her artwork creates a symbolic image of wounding and resilience that conveys something deeply human while addressing urgent social concerns."

She was presented with the top prize by Ontario-based Cree artist Duane Linklater, who won last year's Sobey Art Award.

Four runners-up receive $10,000 each:

• Evan Lee,West Coast/Yukon region nominee.
• Neil Farber and Michael Dumontier, Prairies/North nominees.
• Chris Curreri, Ontario nominee.
• Graeme Patterson,Atlantic nominee.

In an interview with CBC News in Montreal earlier this year, Myre said, "I would describe myself as a visual activist. A lot of the work that I'm making has a political base, and as a conceptual artist, I'm trying to say something."

She had beennominated for theSobeyAward in 2011, 2012 and2013. As well, she was shortlisted for the Powerhouse Art Prize in 2013.

Administered by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Halifax-based Sobey Art Foundation, the Sobey Art Award highlights the work of emerging Canadian contemporary artists aged 40 or under.

Since the award was established in 2002, past winners have included Raphaelle de Groot, David Altmejd, Tim Lee and Annie Pootoogook.

The nominees for this year's Sobey Art Award, released in April, included five artists chosen from five regions of Canada.

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A curatorial panel whittled down the list of 25 nominees to a short list of five finalists before choosing the winner.

The remaining 20 nominees receive $500 each.

Works from this year's short list are on display at the Winnipeg Art Gallery until Jan. 18.