Charl Vinz Awarded 2026 Bert-Theis Grant

On Thursday 12 November 2026, Luxembourg’s National Cultural Fund (Fonds culturel national) announced that artist Charl Vinz has been awarded the 2026 Bert-Theis Grant.

This biennial grant, dedicated to the visual arts, is worth €30,000 and supports artists whose work engages with social issues and reflects a commitment to social engagement.

Established in tribute to Luxembourg artist Bert Theis (1952–2016), whose work explored public space and collective dynamics, the grant supports artists whose practice engages with social issues and demonstrates a strong sense of social commitment.

According to the National Cultural Fund, the jury selected the project Logement vide (Empty Housing), a collection of illustrated short stories about uninhabited houses in the Grand Duchy. Charl Vinz has identified around 40 vacant buildings, documenting them through drawings that will serve as settings for the various stories. Their entirely imagined interiors will become the backdrop for unexpected events and characters.

“I will imagine supernatural events and characters that would not normally exist in these dormant spaces, which are animated solely by the inflation of their value. I am keen to anchor the narrative in a movement of collective engagement.”

The National Cultural Fund added that by using these vacant homes as narrative settings, Charl Vinz invites readers to immerse themselves in these abandoned places and look at them from a different perspective. The artist's commitment extends beyond the stories themselves, which will incorporate illustrated posters inspired by encounters with associations and individuals working to defend the right to housing and combat homelessness. An exhibition of the drawings and posters will accompany the publication of the book.

The entire work will be created using coloured pencils, a technique the artist has already explored during a joint residency between Bridderhaus in Esch-sur-Alzette and la malterie arts visuels in Lille in 2026.

This new project continues the artist's previous work, Temps de trajet (Travel Time) (Point Nemo Publishing, 2025), a graphic novel created in collaboration with Jessica Lopes. The project followed the daily journeys of cross-border and resident workers over the course of a year.

Charl Vinz also created the Utopies series during a residency at Kulturhuef in Grevenmacher in 2024–2025 and co-created Caring for the City with Sana Murad, which was presented at the Luxembourg City Museum in 2026.

The artist will also receive the City of Esch-sur-Alzette's 2026 Young Cultural Merit Award on Tuesday 8 December.

Further information can be found at https://www.focuna.lu/bourses/bourse-bert-theis-arts-visuels.