RIBA Gold Medalist Yasmeen Lari has turned down this year’s Wolf Prize, which is granted by Israel-based not-for-profit Wolf Foundation, citing the war in Gaza as her reason.
Known for her sustainable and socially conscious buildings, the Pakistani architect announced the rejection on 11 March in a letter to the privately-owned Wolf Foundation, which she shared on Instagram.
The Wolf Foundation released the recipients of its prize on 10 March. Lari thanked the jury and the foundation for the nomination but declined the award and its $100,000 prize money.
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Yasmeen Lari has turned down the Wolf Prize
“While I am immensely grateful for this honour, alas, in view of the unfortunate continuing genocide in Gaza, I am not able to accept the award and the prize money even from an organisation that is independent from the government,” Lari wrote.
“All violence is unacceptable to me on any side of a conflict and I’ve spent much of my life helping refugees, albeit climate migrants, and Gaza is unfortunately now one of the worst situations in terms of displacement.
Established in 1978, the annual Wolf Prize acknowledges scientists and artists working “in the interest of mankind and friendly relations amongst peoples”.
Past laureates in architecture include Frank Gehry, Álvaro Siza, Jean Nouvel and David Chipperfield.
With Lari turning down her 2025 Wolf Prize, Chinese architect Xu Tiantian of DnA_Design and Architecture is the only person in the architecture field to receive the prize this year.
The Wolf Foundation has not publicly responded to Lari’s decision to refuse the prize.
Over 48,520 killed during recent war in Gaza
Lari declined the Wolf Prize over the recent war in Gaza, in which over 48,520 people have been killed, according to the latest figures from Palestine’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza was triggered on 7 October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
At least 92 per cent of Gaza’s housing has been destroyed or damaged, and it is estimated around $53 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza. A ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, which expired on 1 March.
Yesterday a report published by the UN Human Rights Council accused Israel of carrying out “genocidal acts”, reported the BBC.
Lari is Pakistan’s first female architect and was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal in 2023.
She founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan with her husband in 1980, which is currently building one million flood-resilient homes in the country.
The top photo of Lari is by Anam Baig.
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