In 2010, Vienna-based Henkel Central Eastern Europe (Henkel CEE) announces – for the ninth straight year - its call for entries for the Henkel Art.Award. the only comprehensive art promotion prize for the Central and Eastern European and Central Asian region. The Henkel Art.Award. 2010, endowed to the sum of 7,000 euros, invites fine artists from 31 countries to participate and submit their entries. The prize winner of the Henkel Art.Award. 2010 will be invited to display his or her works of art within the framework of an individual exhibition in the “Museum der Modernen Kunst Stiftung Ludwig” (Museum of Modern Art - MUMOK) in Vienna, thus making the art accessible to the general public.
Without prescribing any pre-defined themes, the Henkel Art.Award. bestows prizes for outstanding and innovative entries from fine artists in the fields of painting, drawing, photography, video and installation. In a multi-phased selection process, a prominent, top-class international jury consisting of curators and museum experts will choose the winner from the submitted entries.
KulturKontakt Austria is the longstanding, tried and tested partner of Henkel CEE for this project. This association has been promoting and initiating art projects in Central, Eastern and South East Europe for 20 years. In 2009, Henkel CEE attracted the Viennese museum MUMOK as a further partner.
In addition to the prize money and an exhibition in his or her native country, this year’s winner will be given the opportunity to display his or her works of art in a separate exhibition hosted by MUMOK in Vienna in the following year.
Numerous Henkel Art.Award. finalists or winners in recent years have been subsequently invited to international exhibitions and enjoyed international success. For example, the 2008 award winner Miha Strukelj was asked to take part in the 2009 Biennale de Venezia.
Henkel Art.Award. 2010 – Application materials:
- Curriculum vitae and description of artistic career (in English or German)
- Age limit: 40
- 5-10 reproductions of works of art: No originals!
Artwork in the fields of painting, drawing, photography: reproductions in the form of photos and/or catalogues (Format: maximum A3). No slides, CDs or DVDs!
Artwork in the fields of video and installation: Use video DVDs! (Maximum duration of presentation: 10 minutes)
- All works of art must have originated after the year 2007.
- Entries from the following countries will be accepted: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The competition will be carried out in a two-step selection process. At the beginning of July, a local group of experts will convene in each CEE country to nominate three artists from the respective country. The works of art from these three nominees will then be presented to an international jury, which will meet in Vienna in the middle of September to select the finalists.
Artists from countries which do not have their own local jury send their entries directly to Vienna. The international jury meeting in Vienna will select the five best artists to be finalists in the competition. In their deliberations, the jury will choose from the group of entries consisting of the three nominated artists from the individual countries as well as the works of art submitted by artists applying directly to Vienna.
Within the context of an official gala award ceremony, the Henkel Art.Award., featuring a monetary prize of 7,000 euros, will be bestowed upon one of the five artists designated as finalists.
The winner of the Henkel Art.Award. 2010 will have the privilege of displaying his or her works of art in a separate exhibition to be held the following year at the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (MUMOK) in Vienna, including publication of an exhibition catalogue.
In addition, Henkel CEE will finance an exhibition of the prize winner in his or her native country.
The submitted works of art will be returned to the respective artists after the jury session.
Please note:
- No fees will be paid to the artists for participating in the competition!
- No liability can be assumed for any loss of or damage to the works of art.
- Artists will be reimbursed for transport costs of up to 150 euros.
All entries to the Henkel Art.Award. 2010 must be submitted by June 10, 2010 at the latest (date of postmark) to the responsible contact person at Henkel’s offices in the respective country, or in some cases directly to KulturKontakt Austria (see enclosed list).
About Henkel CEE – Corporate social responsibility as a guiding theme:
“Henkel CEE attaches considerable importance to promoting art. This is because art contributes to international understanding and to a greater appreciation of other cultures. With the Henkel Art.Award., we want to make a valuable contribution to this process“, says Mr. Günter Thumser,
President of Henkel Central Eastern Europe, explaining the reasons for the company to organize such a prize competition.
Henkel CEE based in Vienna has positioned itself as the regional headquarters for Central and Eastern Europe within the worldwide Henkel Group. Henkel products have been sold on the Austrian market for 120 years, and manufactured in Vienna since 1927. Today Henkel CEE has management responsibility for coordinating business operations in 32 countries with close to 500 million inhabitants: Austria, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Henkel CEE employs a total work force of 9,500 employees, generating revenues of 2.23 billion euros in 2009. Loctite, Pattex, Ceresit, Schwarzkopf, Poly, Fa, Silan and Persil are among the most well-known Henkel brands.
