Sculptor and performance artist Pat Oleszko has won the $100,000 Bucksbaum Award at the 2026 Whitney Biennial.

Oleszko, who was relatively unknown in New York before gaining attention earlier this year, received the prestigious prize for her contribution to the exhibition.

Her featured work, Blow Hard (1995), is a large inflatable sculpture depicting a giant green face blowing air into a trumpet that releases flames.

The title reflects Oleszko’s playful approach to art, using a pun that refers both to the act of blowing into a musical instrument and the phrase used to describe someone who is overly boastful.

The Bucksbaum Award has previously been awarded to prominent artists including Zoe Leonard, Ralph Lemon, and Pope.L.

Oleszko’s win highlights the continued recognition of artists who combine performance, humour, large-scale sculpture, and unconventional visual storytelling in contemporary art.