INSIDE BY PORTFOLIO 2020

75 GALLERY Phyllida Lloyd (Theatre); American composer, lyricist, and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (Open Category); and American visual artist Carrie Mae Weems (Visual Arts). Each will spend two years in close collaboration with an outstanding young artist of their choice, exchanging ideas and transmitting artistry. The Weems-Rodriguez pairing is especially promising. Carrie Mae Weems’s prolific output through image and text, film video, and performance is informed by interactions with individuals across a multitude of disciplines. She delves into complex human experiences, including sexism, racism, and class. Her highly acclaimed works are exhibited at major institutions throughout the world. Similarly, to the themes explored by her mentor, Colombian filmmaker and visual artist, Camila Rodríguez Triana, uses her works to portray intimate relationships in everyday spaces. Her art has been exhibited in solo and group shows in South America and Europe. As the founder of Heka Films SAS, Triana has been responsible for several acclaimed documentary features that explore the limits between documentary and fiction. “We at Rolex have been privileged that, for nearly two decades, dozens of the most genre-defining artists have lent their time and expertise to the Arts Initiative,” said Rebecca Irvin, program director. “The four new mentors who join the initiative’s community of creative greats have broken new ground in their respective fields and we look forward to the impact they will have on their protégés, as they pass on their devotion to their art in this cross-generational exchange.” For most, their experience with this program has been life-changing. Participants on both sides have deepened their knowledge of the discipline, liberated their thinking, and boosted their confidence. Outcomes have included, amongst many others, a new novel, a new stage production, a career dancing with the mentor’s company, and a collaborative artwork between mentor and protégé. In March this year, Rolex announced four world-renowned innovators as the 2020-2021 Arts Initiative mentors: American filmmaker Spike Lee (Film); English director and producer Theatre mentor Phyllida Lloyd and protégée Whitney White Protégée Agustina San Martín and mentor Lin-Manuel Miranda in the open category Visual arts protégée Camila Rodríguez Triana