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Bernard de Launoit Prizes: Winners 2026
Lou Fauroux (born in 1998 in Mulhouse) is a French artist living and working in the Paris region. Trained at ECAL and a graduate of ENSAD, she develops a multidisciplinary practice combining video, installation, sound, and 3D. Her work explores contemporary technological imaginaries and the power structures that underpin them, using hybrid narrative devices. Through an approach that is both critical and sensitive, she reactivates the codes of popular and digital culture to construct forms that are at once critical and poetic.
The jury was particularly struck by the singularity of Lou Fauroux’s perspective, which stands out with great maturity among the 158 applications received. Her multidisciplinary work is distinguished by a rare ability to grasp contemporary issues with sharp insight, employing technological and sonic tools in an inventive and controlled way. The jury was convinced by the ambition of her approach, as well as by the coherence, strength, and poetic quality of her universe. Lou Fauroux embodies a new generation of artists capable of combining formal rigor with engagement in their time. Her potential for development was evident, fully justifying the jury’s choice.
Jury members: Sophie Whettnall (co-chair), Gaël Diercxsens (co-chair), María Inés Rodríguez, Pierre-Olivier Rollin, Rosalie de Launoit, and Marcel Berlanger.
StraZ is the solo project of Brussels-based producer Sami Strazimiri: an organic, textured form of electronic music inspired by the narrative aesthetic of electronica, contrasted with the intense, pulsating atmosphere of club culture. Drawing from techno, break, and UK bass, StraZ sets no limits, using rhythm in service of his musical intent. Guided by dreamy guitar lines, enveloping bass, and polyrhythmic percussion, his tracks are powerful and designed to take on a cathartic, dance-driven dimension in live performance.
Among the 65 applications received, StraZ stood out for his ability to build a genuine bridge between musical styles. His live experience and collaborative approach reflect an already well-established artist. The jury was particularly impressed by his strong maturity, the organic evolution toward his own artistic voice, and the subtlety, intelligence, and honesty that emerge from his work. Discreet yet charismatic, StraZ inspires confidence. The jury believes that the foundation’s support could make a real difference in the development of his project.
Jury members: Laetitia Huberti (chair), Nina de Launoit, Mélanie Di Biasio, Michel de Launoit, Mustii, Lorenzo Gatto, and Gilles Ledure.
