ART EVENT Arte Laguna Prize 2021 Announced its Winners

After the long stop due to the health emergency, Arte Laguna Prize opens the doors of the Venice Arsenale, giving start to the largest exhibition in the history of the Prize, a celebration of art and creativity that looks to the future and gives voice to a wide variety of visual languages. During the awards ceremony, the three absolute winners of the 15th edition and the four winners of the 14th edition were announced, receiving a cash prize of 10,000 euros each. The artists come from Spain, Israel, China, Slovenia, Italy, Poland and the United States.

The international jury awarded the work Fragile artist: Handle with care II (2017) by Spanish artist Belén Mazuecos (1978). The work was chosen for its contemporary approach, which speaks to many universal themes in the world and specifically in the world of artists; a project that the jury found very interesting for representing the difficulties of being an artist, especially in these times. Furthermore, the artwork serves as a pretext to build a metaphor for what happens in the art world, highlighting the complexities of a highly fragile ecosystem.

Awards Ceremony, Belén Mazuecos receiving award / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Belén Mazuecos, Fragile artist: Handle with care II (2017) / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

The artist Moshe Vollach (1958) is awarded for his oxymoronic approach to land art, with his land art project 31 cubes (2016). He created poetic work based on the idea of contrast and how natural elements can work together to transform the artwork: a row of 61 identical-size ice cubes placed in the desert on a hot summer day, documenting the defrosting process. The work refers to the relationship between matter and space, dealing with issues such as global warming, radical climate changes, iceberg defrosting and desertification.

Awards Ceremony, Moshe Vollach receiving award / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Moshe Vollach, 31 cubes (2016) / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

The animated film Cloud of the Unknown (2019) by Chinese artist Gao Yuan (1986) was highly appreciated by the jury for the artist's ability to harness new technologies into an aesthetic and a style with great beauty and invention. Through the animation of the frames hand-painted by the artist herself, she brings to life an existential work about the nature of being in the world.

The jury has given the Prize to Frankenstein's Bride (2013) by Slovenian designer Primož Jeza (1968). Frankenstein's Bride is a modular, versatile working space assembled out of several different colour elements, a contemporary table that can be adapted for every situation in real life.

Awards Ceremony, Primož Jeza receiving award / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Primož Jeza, Frankenstein's Bride (2013) / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

For having been able to combine, in work presented, ecological and environmental themes that are among the most urgent in our contemporaneity and a reflection on painting, the theme of variation and the possibilities provided by materials. The jury has chosen to award Drawings from a liquified forest by the Polish artist Witold Ried (1969).

Witold Ried, Drawings from a liquified forest / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

The jury awarded the American artist Samuelle Green (1976) for her installation Manifestation 7. The work shows the strength of a sculpture that adapts to space, like an organism that grows and develops by modelling itself. Composed of a repetition of elements, it also regenerates the materials it is made of, giving them a new life.

Awards Ceremony, Samuelle Green receiving award / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Samuelle Green, Manifestation 7 / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

The jury also awarded the young Italian performer Leonardo Sinopoli (1998) with the work 331: Say their Names.

Awards Ceremony, Leonardo Sinopoli awarded / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Leonardo Sinopoli, 331: Say their Names / Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Installation view / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

Installation view / Photo Credit Nicola D. Orta, Courtesy of Arte Laguna Prize

During the evening, additional 42 artists were also awarded, chosen by the international partners of the Arte Laguna Prize for the special prizes (art residencies, gallery exhibitions, festivals, collaborations with companies). The 240 finalist works of the 14th and 15th editions of the Arte Laguna Prize are displayed at the Arsenale Nord in Venice until November 21.