Promotion Prize of the Province of Styria for Contemporary Fine Arts 2013
November 8, 2013–February 9, 2014
Opening: November 7, 7pm
Kunsthaus Graz
Universalmuseum Joanneum
Lendkai 1, 8020 Graz
Austria
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm
T +43 316/8017 9200
kunsthausgraz [at] museum-joanneum.at
In the globalised world, it is only to a limited extent that art allows the character of an individual artwork to be determined by the territory the artist hails from. The aesthetics and art philosophies that are presented in this competition exhibition are correspondingly diverse. It was not identification with the province of Styria, Austria that was the criterion used in selecting artists for the exhibition. The purpose was not to exhibit representative samples of the artistic trends currently dominant on the Styrian stage—especially as several of the artists are also actively involved in the art worlds of Vienna, Berlin or Brussels.
Rather, the exhibition can be seen as a show given by a dream team brought together by guest curator Jarosław Suchan, Director of the Muzeum Sztuki, Łodź. The members of this super group, which could be called The Styrians, have left their original crews and for a short moment united their forces in order to jointly give an unforgettable concert. Representativity or typicality of their creation is of no significance here. What counts in the end is the sheer quality of their individual input—their contribution to this joint venture.
Artists
Martin Ebner, Robert Gruber, Michael Gumhold, Daniel Hafner, Angelika Loderer, Evelyn Loschy, Georg Oberhumer, Katrin Plavčak, Kurt Ryslavy, Gregor Schmoll
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue (German/English, in-house publication of the Universalmuseum Joanneum).
Prizes
Every year since 1959 the Province of Styria has held the Competition for the Promotion Prize for Contemporary Fine Arts, which this year is awarded for the 45th time. Previous prize winners include Wolfgang Hollegha (1966), Herbert Brandl (1980), Michael Schuster (1989) or Werner Reiterer (1990), who managed to make a name both in the Austrian and international art scene.
As part of the exhibition opening on November 7, the curator will award the following sponsored prizes:
‘con-tempus’ Prize: 5,000 EUR
Viktor Fogarassy Prize: 4,000 EUR
Humanic Prize: 2,000 EUR
The winners of the various prizes of the Province of Styria will be determined by audience voting, with the order according to the number of votes given. Visitors to the opening or those who purchase a ticket to the exhibition (opening, 8–10 November 2013) are entitled to participate once only in the voting.
Promotion Prize of the Province of Styria for Contemporary Fine Arts: 10,000 EUR
Two work stipends: 5,000 EUR
Art acquisitions by the Province of Styria: 8,000 EUR in total
The prizes of the Province of Styria will be awarded on November 25, 7pm in the Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM–), Graz as part of the presentation of the Landeskulturpreise. Fest der Kunst (Provincial Cultural Prizes. Celebration of Art).
