The Hugo Boss Prize was established in 1996 with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as a way to “support talented young, emerging artists as well as established individuals whose public recognition may be long overdue.” The winner — who receives $100,000 and a show at the Gugg — is chosen by an international panel of distinguished judges from the art world.

Last year Palestinian artist Emily Jacir took home the prize, and past winners include Matthew Barney, Pierre Huyghe, and Tacita Dean. After the jump peep some offerings from this year’s finalists.

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“Two amazing things happened to me while working on this project,” explains Hugo Boss Prize winning-artist Emily Jacir, whose deeply political installations Material for a film (performance) and In Material for a film — both inspired by the assassination of Palestinian intellectual Wael Zuaiter — will be on view at the Guggenheim Museum starting this Friday. “The first thing was that Wael introduced me to Alberto Moravia and I have since read many of his writings including The Woman of Rome, The Conformist, The Conjugal Love, and Boredom. The second was that Wael introduced me to the music of Gustav Mahler whom he was obsessed with. I was in Ramallah when I heard Symphony No. 9 which was Wael’s favorite, for the first time and I will never forget that experience. There are no words to describe the profound impact that symphony has on me.”

Read on for more of our conversation with the controversy-causing artist after the jump.

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