Marina Abramović leads an unprecedented three-month CIRCA presentation of The Hero, a global call for courageous new heroes at a pivotal moment in our collective history. Set against today's backdrop of global instability, rising tensions and climate breakdown, the figure of a steadfast woman astride a white horse holds symbolic charge on a world stage dominated by masculine power and escalating conflict. 

Instigating an extended three-month pause throughout June, July and August, broadcasting across the CIRCA network of screens (London, Seoul, Milan, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles), Abramović invites a global audience to consider and assume new definitions of heroism.

Embodying the CIRCA 2022 manifesto ‘AND NOW WE BUILD WORLDS’, the heroes that Abramović seeks today are champions of a new way of thinking and living. Calling on brave figures to restore peace and reverse the destruction of the planet, the iconic vision of a rider holding a white flag invites contrasting ideas of heroism celebrating pacifism over conflict; femininity over machismo; self-sacrifice over dominance; and collectivity over individualism. 

CIRCA PRESENTS: MARINA ABRAMOVIC THE HERO

Now in its fifth year, CIRCA PRIZE invites emerging and mid-career artists everywhere to submit a 2.5-minute (150 secs) video work in response to the CIRCA 20:25 Manifesto, REFUGIA. Thirty finalists will be selected by this year’s Curators’ Circle – selected annually by CIRCA to uphold the integrity of the prize – to have their work screened throughout September on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights and broadcast across the CIRCA global platform.

  
CIRCA PRIZE invites submissions in response to _REFUGIA_ — the 2025 manifesto from CIRCA. This year’s prize challenges artists to consider sanctuary not as retreat, but as resistance — inviting them to propose new ways of seeing, surviving, and shaping our collective future. Rooted in ideas of ecological rupture, forced migration, and collective memory, _REFUGIA_ offers a poetic and political framework for reimagining public space in a time of planetary crisis. 

The CIRCA PRIZE 2025 winner will be selected by a jury to receive £30,000 to support their practice and realise a major new public commission, premiering in 2027\. The winner will also receive a trophy specially designed by Ai Weiwei.

  
An additional £10,000 will be awarded to one finalist through a global online vote, powered by Piccadilly Lights — giving the public a direct voice in shaping the future of public art.

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