Estonia's Mara Kirchberg wins top Nordic Baltic Young Artist Award
Tallinn-based artist Mara Kirchberg, an alum of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), was recently awarded the Grand Prix in the 2024 Nordic and Baltic Young Artist Awards.
The Nordic and Baltic Young Artist Awards competition aims to support young artists completing their bachelor's or master's studies at the start of their careers, according to a press release. This year's awards marked the ninth edition of the competition, which featured 135 young artists presenting a total of 283 works.
The Grand Prix was awarded to Kirchberg for her transdisciplinary work exploring the fragility of hybrid systems through sculptures, installations and performance. The international jury highlighted Kirchberg's distinctive and mature signature style, as well as the topicality of the themes explored in her work.
EKA Gallery director and jury member Kaisa Maasik said that Mara Kirchberg's final thesis, "Feeding a Leaky Skin," was a clear standout.
"This work is highly relevant, as it addresses the theme of care – particularly through the everyday labor the artist performed by continuously maintaining the work throughout its exhibition," Maasik explained. "The installation's filtration systems took over Uus Rada Gallery, revealing the specifics of the site while, in their visual resemblance to skin and bodily fluids, prompting reflections on corporeality and the fragility of the human system."
NOBA.ac art platform and competition initiator Andra Orn was delighted to see the Grand Prix return to Estonia after several years. The last time an Estonian artist won the competition was in 2016, when Juhan Soomets claimed the top prize with his sound installation "The Artists' Room."
"At that time, the competition was still called the Baltic Young Artist Awards," Orn noted. "Since then, it has grown significantly – with several Nordic art academies joining, and the number of participants increasing severalfold. This makes Mara Kirchberg's win even more remarkable."
View this post on Instagram
This year's Public Choice Award and Fotografiska Award also both went to an Estonian artist – Pallas University of Applied Sciences alum Kirke Kuiv, whose experimental photography examines the human experience and emotional complexity.
The Young Painter Award went to Johanna Saikkonen (Uniarts, Helsinki) for her powerful oil paintings that delve into themes of egocentricity and self-deception.
Select winning works will be exhibited in 2025 at the Art Academy of Latvia's Art Space PILOT in Riga and the ArtDepoo Gallery in Tallinn.
The winners of this year's awards were selected by an international jury composed of professors, curators and artists from across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
The jury included Andris Vitolinš (Art Academy of Latvia, Latvia), Ieva Skaurone (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania), Harri Monni (Uniarts Helsinki, Finland), Anni Anttonen (Uniarts Helsinki, Finland), Margus Meinart (Pallas University of Applied Sciences, Estonia), Kaisa Maasik (Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia), Taina Erävaara (Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland), Anne Klontz (Konstfack, Sweden), Per Nilsson (Umea Academy of Fine Arts, Sweden), Maarja Loorents (Fotografiska Tallinn, Estonia), Deborah Duerr (Galleri Duerr, Sweden), Ugne Bužinskaite (Noewe Foundation, Lithuania) and Andra Orn, curator and founder of the Nordic Baltic contemporary art platform NOBA.ac.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Karmen Rebane, Aili Vahtla
