“Views” is the most significant prize in contemporary art in Poland, dedicated to the artists under the age of 36. Every two years the competition is organized by the Deutsche Bank Foundation, Deutsche Bank Polska and Zachęta – National Gallery of Art. The nominating committee, comprised of renowned art critics and curators, chooses five artists, who for the last two years had a special impact on the Polish art scene. This year’s nominees are: Tymek Borowski, Piotr Bosacki, Karolina Breguła, Łukasz Jastrubczak and Agnieszka Polska. Their works are presented during an exhibition at the Zachęta. These artists are young, but renowned and they have presented their works at museums and galleries in Poland and abroad.
After his succesful debut as a painter, Tymek Borowski turned to the more diverse range of mediums: animation, interactive digital projects and illustrations. Piotr Bosacki’s art combines his two great passions – composing music and creation of visual forms. Karolina Breguła came to fame with her photo series “Let them see us” from 2004, which were exhibited in the public spaces in various European cities, and since then she has been consequently developing the language of film and photography. The video-installations of Łukasz Jastrubczak are reinterpretations of famous myths, especially those of American cinema, in which he finds a dose of the absurd. The last of finalists of the “Views” award – Agnieszka Polska, who was nominated to the prestigeous Future Generation Art Prize in 2012, creates intriguing animations, videos and photos.
Previous editions of “Views” proved that being a finalist of the competition became a significant step to the international career in art for many artists. Konrad Smoleński, the winner of “Views 2011” was a Polish representative at the 55. Venice Biennale. Paulina Ołowska, whose solo exhibition is now hosted by the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, was the finalist of the first edition of “Views”. Paweł Althamer and Monika Sosnowska, who competed with Ołowska in 2003, are now frequent guests of the most famous art galleries in the world.
The award ceremony of “Views”, with representatives of the world of art, media and business, will be held by Bogna Świątkowska – the president of “Bęc Zmiana” New Culture Foundation, which has been supporting and promoting young Polish art for over ten years. During the ceremony, international jury will award first prize of 15,000 euros and additional prize – a three-month scholarship at the Villa Romana in Florence. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced after the end of the exhibition.
This year the “Views” competition and the exhibition takes place not only in the gallery, but also in the virtual space. This is the first cultural initiative in Poland, which uses social media on such a broad scale. On Zachęta’s profile on Twitter, @Zacheta, the audience can follow news about the competition, share their opinions and vote for their favourite artists. Thanks to the tablets installed in the gallery, the audience can also co-create Zachęta’s profile and be the Zachęta’s “voice” on the Internet. It is also possible to vote through the application on Facebook. For the virtual audience, the short videos about the artists nominated to the “Views” are available at Vimeo.com.
Bogdan Zdrojewski, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, took the Honorary Patronage over the competition and the exhibition.
Views 2013 – Deutsche Bank Foundation Award
Exhibition lasts untill November, 17, 2013
Zachęta – National Gallery of Art
pl. Małachowskiego 3, 00-916 Warsaw
More information on: Zachęta – National Gallery of Art or FB / Twitter
