20/10/2017
The online vote for the nominees for the Baltic Young Artist Award has started. This year, 75 artists, who obtained their education at the art academies of Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia, are competing for the award. The vote will take place until 9 November on the competition website: balticyoungartistaward.eu.
The Baltic Young Artist Award was a founded a year ago, creating a new annual tradition within the Baltic cultural space. It was established to introduce the professional sector and the general public to artists of the younger generation, and to support their professional activity. The Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation will award a prize of EUR 2,000 to the winner chosen by an international jury, as well as organise an exhibition of the winner’s work. The winner of the online vote will receive a prize of EUR 500.
“The Baltic Young Artist Award is a rapidly growing event within the Baltic art scene, which is confirmed by the increasing interest among young artists in the award. This year, the number of applications has increased by almost one third, with artists from Latvia being particularly active,” reveals Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation Board Member Elīna Vikmane. At the same time, she stresses that, “The award illuminates new talents in the Baltic region, making it possible for them to be discovered by art lovers and professionals, which is in close affinity with the mission of the future Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art.”
"Young art has a completely different kind of energy, there´s courage and independence of thought. With time and maturation of conceptual approach as well as technical skills, we can see the formation of a unique handwriting and the artist gaining credibility. I am very glad to be part of this process, to be able to notice and support our future talents” comments one of the organisers and jury member Andra Orn.
The Baltic Young Artist Award’s international jury is comprised of the Curator of Finland’s KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art (now Curator of the Espoo Museum of Modern Art), Milja Liimatainen, Finland; curator and art critic, Aušra Trakšelytė, Lithuania; curator Keiju Krikmann, Estonia; gallerist and NOAR Board Member Andra Orna; Curator of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s Art in Public Space programme Helēna Demakova; Head of the ABLV Charitable Foundation’s Arts Programmes Kaspars Vanags; and artist and Art Academy of Latvia Prorector and Head of the Painting Department, Andris Vītoliņš.
