THE IGOR ZABEL AWARD FOR CULTURE AND THEORY 2016

For the fifth time, the Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory honours the exceptional cultural achievements of those who are contributing to a deeper international exposure of visual art and culture in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The jury has made its decision:

Viktor Misiano, now living in Moscow and Cisternino (Italy), will be honoured with the Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory 2016 for his outstanding curatorial achievements, writings and editorial work related to contemporary art in Russia and in the broader international sphere. The jury acknowledges Misiano as one of the most important art professionals and cultural agents in Eastern Europe over the last thirty years. The prize is endowed with EUR 40,000.

International jury also awards two grants, one grant is given by the award winner:
In addition to the award, the jury also presents two grants (each worth EUR 12,000): this time to the Romanian curator and art historian Anca Verona Mihuleţ for being “one of the most promising young Eastern European curators, who has lately been especially interested in comparing different Southern positions”; and to the OFF-Biennale Budapest 2015 and its organisers Nikolett Erőss, Anna Juhász, Hajnalka Somogyi, Tijana Stepanović, Borbála Szalai, Katalin Székely and János Szoboszlai. The unprecedented initiative of OFF-Biennale Budapest will be awarded a grant because it “proved the viability, energy and professionalism with which contemporary art professionals were able to formulate answers to national state politics that have proven unfavourable to international exchange and the criticality of contemporary culture.”
The third grant (also worth EUR 12,000) is traditionally awarded by the laureate. Viktor Misiano awarded it to the curator Viviana Checchia from Italy “for her contribution to the comprehension of and international interest in Eastern European art”.

MORE ABOUT THE WINNERS 2016

Igor Zabel Award 2016 jury: Zdenka Badovinac, director of Moderna galerija, Ljubljana (chair), Vít Havránek, director of tranzit.cz in Prague, and the artist Roman Ondák from Bratislava.
 

The Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory is an initiative of the ERSTE Foundation and is conferred in cooperation with the Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory. It has been awarded every two years since 2008; the 2016 award ceremony and accompanaying programme is organised in cooperation with Moderna galerija.

AWARD CEREMONY PROGRAMME

8 and 9 December 2016
→ International conference What Art History? In memoriam Piotr Piotrowski
Participants: Edit András, Manuel Borja - Villel, Catherine David, Ekaterina Degot, Charles Esche, Okwui Enwezor, Beáta Hock, Tímea Junghaus, Magdalena Radomska, Peter Weibel, WHW
The conference is taking place on Thursday, 8 December, 10.00 – 18.00, and on Friday, 9 December, 10.00 – 11.30.
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9 December 2016
→ 5 pm, a presentation of the laureate and recipients of grants for 2016
On the occasion of the fifth edition of the award, a comprehensive publication Extending the Dialogue with texts by former winners and jury members will be launched.
→ 8 pm, Igor Zabel Award ceremony

Both events will be held (in English) at the Moderna galerija, Cankarjeva 15, Ljubljana.