The Present: What Now? The exhibition on the Ö1 Talentestipendium 2021

28.10.2021

Supported by Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein – Rosa Andraschek receives Ö1 Talentestipendium, Ö1 audience prize goes to Marko Kodžić

On 27th October, the 2021 Ö1 Talentestipendium – the talent grant for visual arts – was awarded to Rosa Andraschek following a unanimous jury vote, while the Ö1 audience prize went to Marko Kodžić. Barbara Grötschnig (Head of VIG Group Sponsoring and Art Collections Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein and Wiener Städtische Versicherung) presented this award with a prize money of 10,000 Euros, which has been given out annually since 2008 to promote young talents, on behalf of the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein. For the second year running, the presentation of the nominees is shown at the Leopold Museum, this year under the heading The Present: What Now? The Exhibition of Nominees of the Ö1 Talentestipendium 2021, curated by Philippe Batka.

“We are showing the works of the five nominated artists who, with their different esthetic strategies, open up a broad spectrum of artistic and political discourse. Their advanced practices – situated between humanitarian commitment, historical reappraisal and reflections on man’s relationship with nature – illustrate the range of fascinations and spheres of activity of a new generation of artists. The artists’ works, driven by personal stories, experiences and desiderata, invite an open questioning of the present: what now?”
Philippe Batka, Curator of the Art Collections Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein and Wiener Städtische Versicherung and jury member

The winner Rosa Andraschek is interested in historical structures, institutions and places where power is exercised, and has dedicated her art to past and present venues of hegemonic power. Her focus is on the stories and contingent events behind the ostensibly harmless, everyday subjects of her photographs.

The painter Marko Kodžić addresses the question how space – especially the experience of architecture – is constituted in our perception. Retracing recollections and initial experiences of the body, the artist reconstructs interiors and buildings that represent links to his cultural heritage.

“Affording both the winners Rosa Andraschek and Marko Kodžić, as well as the nominees Katrin Euller, Michael Reindel and Hasan Ulukısa a presentation of their works at the Leopold Museum is our contribution to making these emerging artists visible. With the generous support of the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, the Ö1 Talentestipendium allows the prize-winner to focus on her creative process. With the exhibition in a museum setting, we hope to raise these artists’ profiles and to generate awareness for their works.”
Hans-Peter Wipplinger, Director of the Leopold Museum and jury member

The applications for the Ö1 Talentestipendium came from the four Austrian art universities in Vienna, Linz and Salzburg (Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, University of Applied Arts Vienna, University of Art and Design Linz, and Mozarteum University Salzburg).

Among the nominees is Katrin Euller who unites sound, film and text to create hybrid alliances of different genres. The images of her film works, which are reinforced by complex fabrics of sound, conjure a world shaped by decadence and alienation but also by a new solicitousness towards nature.

Michael Reindel is interested in structural asymmetries, which range from latent and overt geopolitical dislocations all the way to manifestations in the art scene. The artist, who at times works in a union of joint authorship, uses mischievous humor to chip away at hieratic, institutionally consolidated structures.

Finally, the Leopold Museum presents the works of Hasan Ulukısa, whose art practice is closely linked to his humanitarian involvement. The artist is intrigued by political dynamics and fractures in public discourse, and aims to show the perspectives of refugees who have been left out of it.

The Present: What Now? The Exhibition of Nominees of the Ö1 Talentestipendium 2021 will be shown until 28th November 2021.

Details on the Ö1 Talentestipendium:
http://oe1.orf.at/talentestipendium

Photos of the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein (© Richard Tanzer, Helmut Graf):
https://www.wst-versicherungsverein.at/press/talentestipendium2021/

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