The winner of the fourth round of the $50,000 biennial Bennett Prize (and the recipient of an additional $10,000 award) will be announced at Michigan’s newly-expanded Muskegon Museum of Art on May 15, coinciding with the opening of two related exhibitions. Rising Voices 4: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painterswill feature approximately 30 paintings by the 2025 Bennett Prize finalists; and will be accompanied by a solo show of eight paintings by 2023 winner, Shiqing (Demo) Deng.
Shiqing Deng, Selection, 2024, oil on linen, 66 x 44". Courtesy of C+N Gallery CANEPANERI (Milan-Genoa, Italy) & Gian Enzo SPERONE (Sent, Switzerland).The Bennett Prize was established by philanthropists and art collectors Steven Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt to propel the careers of women painters and to promote figurative realism. On an individual level, the funding often enables the recipient to devote more time to their craft. Titled Shiqing Deng: The Cost of Life, the exhibition is an opportunity for the artist to share the body of work she has produced since receiving the prize two years ago.
I had last spoken to Deng in August 2023 and wanted to know how the prize had impacted her life and work since. “I feel very free to paint without worry about the art market,” she says. “I can explore some interesting subject [matter] which might not [appeal to] a lot of audiences.” In addition to creative freedom, another huge win, and one the China-born artist was hoping the prize would facilitate, was securing an EB-1A visa for exemplary individuals in a number of fields, including the arts, carving a clear path toward permanent residency in the United States.
Shiqing Deng, Unsolved, 2024, oil on linen, 49 x 39". Courtesy of C+N Gallery CANEPANERI (Milan-Genoa, Italy) & Gian Enzo SPERONE (Sent, Switzerland).
In her latest series, Deng explores the complexities of surrogacy. “I was inspired to delve into this theme after watching a documentary on YouTube, where they interviewed a Chinese individual who runs a surrogacy company in the U.S.,” says Deng. “He shared many shocking details about the industry that I could never have imagined. After finishing the documentary, I felt so astounded that I had to express my thoughts through painting.” In Deng’s typical style, she approaches darker subject matter with humor and sarcasm.
For instance, in Baby Maker, one of the artist’s personal favorites, a woman interacting with a packaged baby underscores the transactional nature of surrogacy. The labels “How it Start” and “How it End” point to the commodification of life, where the creation and delivery of a child are viewed through a commercial lens.
Shiqing Deng, Baby Maker, 2024, oil on linen, 40 x 60"
“I love the idea that delivering a baby is like opening a snack package,” says Deng. “It’s like a commercial. A lot of people told me it’s a very weird and disturbing painting [which] I took as a compliment.”
Deng’s solo show The Cost of Life and Rising Voices 4open on May 15 with a reception and awards ceremony (at which the winner of the 2025 Bennett Prize will be announced) from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibits will remain on view at Muskegon Museum of Art through August 24, after which it will travel to the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, New York; Customs House and Cultural Center in Charlottesville, Tennessee; the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia; and Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia. The tour concludes in July 2027.
Shiqing Deng, Pose, 2024, oil on linen, 40 x 30"
To learn more about the 2025 Bennett Prize finalists in Rising Voices 4, see our feature in the February issue of American Art Collector or visit www.thebennettprize.org. —
Shiqing Deng: The Cost of Life
Rising Voices 4: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters
May 15-August 24, 2025
Muskegon Museum of Art
296 W. Webster Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49440
(231) 720-2570, www.muskegonartmuseum.org
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