PINCHUK ART CENTER ESTABLISHES PRIZE FOR YOUNG UKRAINIAN ARTISTS

The Pinchuk Art Center in Kiev has established a nationwide prize in contemporary art for young Ukrainian artists. This is the first privately funded award in the Ukraine, which is aimed at creating, supporting, and developing a new generation of Ukrainian artists. According to a press release, beginning in 2009, the prize will be awarded every two years to, “the best Ukrainian artists under thirty-five . . . working with any genre of contemporary art.” The “Principal Pinchuk Art Center Prize” is approximately twenty thousand dollars and two “Special Pinchuk Art Center Prizes,” of five thousand dollars will be awarded as well.

Eckhard Schneider, general manager of the institution notes that, “By setting up the prize, the Pinchuk Art Center strives to heighten the interest in contemporary art and to create ‘the critical mass’ of young artists, discovering new names for Ukraine and the whole world.” To compete, artists will submit three to seven works online. The primary selection of artists will be determined by a committee, who will select twelve artists for a special exhibition in the Pinchuk Art Center. The international jury of the Pinchuk Art Center, comprised of artists, curators, museum directors, and critics will announce the winners of the principal and special prizes.