Nominees' Night - ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2013

13 May 2013, 19.00 - Muzej sodobne umetnosti Metelkova, Maistrova 3, Ljubljana

Winners were announced during the opening (Nominees' Night); the winners of the ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2013 in Slovenia are Dan Adlešič and Gregor Maver.

Supporting the arts in eight Central and Eastern European countries powered by bauMax and the main shareholder of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP

The Essl Art Award CEE 2013 gives international visibility to up-to-the-minute tendencies in the young European art scene. After the call for applications at the art academies of Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, the Slovak and Czech Republics, Hungary and, for the first time, Istanbul, Turkey, the fifth Essl Art Award CEE received applications from more than 500 art students who aspired to a place in the so-called "Nominees' Exhibitions" and wanted to win this coveted young-talent award.
Established by the Austrian art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl, the ESSL ART AWARD CEE is organised in close co-operation with experts, museums and art academies from the eight participating countries and from Austria. With this award, Mr. and Mrs. Essl demonstrate their commitment to the support of young artists and provide an inspiring incentive for young talents.

"Apart from the generous financial endowment, what distinguishes this award from others is particularly the serious-mindedness and professionalism with which it is carried out. The set-up is unique in that exhibitions are organised in every country to present the works of the 10 shortlisted nominees. The jury holds its discussions and then takes a decision in front of the actual paintings, objects, sculptures, installations or film and video works. To my mind, that illustrates how respectfully the founder of the award approaches art in general and new talents in particular."
René Block, Chairman of the Essl Art Award CEE Jury

Nominees' Exhibitions
From the more than 500 applications, the jury, consisting of experts from the participating countries and Austria, shortlisted 10 nominees per country whose work will now be presented in the "Nominees' Exhibitions" scheduled for May 2013 in all participating countries.
On the opening night, or "Nominees' Night", two artists in each country will receive the ESSL ART AWARD CEE. In addition, one of the two will be offered a VIG Special Invitation, sponsored by Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, main shareholder of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP.

The works of the young artists presented in the context of the ESSL ART AWARD CEE in the Nominees' Exhibitions raise a number of topical questions: What are the current developments at art universities? What social, societal, political and economic issues are important to young artists? Are they motivated by ecological concerns and the gender discourse? Is there a focus on particular media, and does painting still hold significance for the young generation?
The works on show cover a wide range of media, including drawing, painting, installations, photography and new media.

Nominees' Night in Ljubljana
In Ljubljana, the Nominees' Night was held on 13 May 2013 at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova. Opening speakers included Zdenka Badinovac (Director of Moderna Galerija), Andreas Hoffer (jury member Essl Museum), Igor Španjol (jury member Slovenia) and Tomo Mrđen (Managing director - Wiener Städtische Slovenia).
The nominees for the Slovenian ESSL ART AWARD CEE are Dan Adlešič, Anamari Hrup, Andrea Knezovic, Eva Lucija Kozak, Gregor Maver, Živa Petric, Matej Stupica, Saša Šuštar, Valérie Wolf Gang and Jure Zrimšek. The winners are Dan Adlešič and Gregor Maver. Dan Adlešič also won a special prize given by the Vienna Insurance Group. The Nominees' exhibition will take place at the Muzej sodobne umetnosti Metelkova from May 13 to 26, 2013.

The ESSL ART AWARD CEE
Each of the 16 winners of the ESSL ART AWARD CEE (two artists per country) receives EUR 3,500 and takes part in the exhibition >Transcending Cultures< held from 06 Dec 2013 until 02 March 2014 at the Essl Museum. The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue which presents the artists and their work and also serves as a launching pad to give the young artists international visibility.
In addition, the main shareholder of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP will extend a Special Invitation to one of the two winners at the Nominees' Night. The invitees will be able to exhibit their work at the Ringturm building in Vienna - the headquarters of the company.

Jury ESSL ART AWARD CEE
Vanja Babić (HR), René Block (D), Gábor Ébli (HU), Andreas Hoffer (Essl Museum), Johanna Langfelder (Essl Museum), Romelo Pervolovici (RO), Zora Rusinová (SK), Lora Sariaslan (TR), Igor Španjol (SLO), Jiří Švestka (CZ), Maria Vassileva (BG), Eva Wirlitsch-Essl (Essl Museum)

A priority concern: supporting young artists - the art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl
Inaugurated in 1999, the Essl Museum is Austria?s largest privately run museum and home to one of Europe's most significant collections of contemporary art with more than 7.000 works of art.
Back in the 1950s, the art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl discovered their passion for contemporary art. A very successful business career that took off at a breath-taking pace with the foundation of the bauMax company enabled them to build an important art collection. It has always been of prime importance for the couple to make their collection available to the public at large. The museum presents international exhibitions, solo exhibitions of top artists and considers art education a priority.
It has always been an important part of the commitment of the Essl family to support young artists, an intention that has been translated into reality with the >emerging artists< series and the ESSL ART AWARD CEE.

bauMax - Partner of Many Years
Established 36 years ago in Austria, bauMax is a family undertaking with an international presence. Today, bauMax is active in nine countries with a total of 159 stores, its business footprint extending from Austria to Turkey. In Central and Eastern Europe, bauMax is the market leader in the DIY sector with a brand recognition rate of 90%. In sum total, its stores cater to appox. 50 million customers per year.

Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein and VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP - Partners of Long Standing
For many years, the Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein and VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP have been co-operating with the Essl Museum. This year they will again support the ESSL ART AWARD CEE together with bauMax. The following VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP companies participate in the event: Kvarner, Helios and Erste osiguranje in Croatia; Wiener Städtische in Slovenia; Kooperativa, Česká podnikatelská pojišt'ovna and Pojišťovna České spořitelny in the Czech Republic; Kooperativa, Komunálna and Poisťovňa Slovenskej sporiteľne in the Slovak Republic; Union Biztosító and Erste Biztosító in Hungary; Omniasig, Asirom and BCR Leben in Romania; Bulstrad Leben and Nichtleben in Bulgaria; as well as Ray Sigorta in Turkey. This is the first time that Turkey is represented at the ESSL ART AWARD CEE as the eighth country.

VIG Special Invitation - the Young Talent Award of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein
This is the third time that the VIG Special Invitation - a support project established by the VIG main shareholder Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein in 2009 - will be extended to artists within the context of the ESSL ART AWARD CEE. In each participating country, one of the two ESSL ART AWARD CEE winners will receive the additional distinction of the VIG Special Invitation which is endowed with EUR 1,000 per head. In the spring of 2014, the invitees will get the opportunity to participate in a special exhibition at the Ringturm exhibition centre at the company headquarters of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP and Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, and they will be asked to create a work specifically for this event.

"Supporting art and cultural projects is an integral part of our corporate philosophy and a tradition of long standing. With our support of the ESSL ART AWARD CEE we can contribute to promoting the developing of the young creative art scenes in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe where Vienna Insurance Group is active. As a company that does successful insurance business in the region we consider it part of our corporate social responsibility to promote the diversity of cultural life", says Dr. Günter Geyer, CEO of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP.

Listed on the stock exchanges of Vienna and Prague and headquartered in Vienna, VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP (VIG) is one of the leading insurance groups in Central and Eastern Europe. With a staff of approx. 24,000, VIG offers innovative insurance schemes and excellent service to its customers in 24 countries of the region. Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein is the main shareholder of VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP and supports the group in all cultural and social matters. A top priority lies on cross-border cultural exchanges which create leeway and opportunities for cultural development.

ALL DATES OF NOMINEES? NIGHTS

SLOVENIA NOMINEES' NIGHT, 13 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Muzej sodobne umetnosti Metelkova | Maistrova 3, SI-1000 Ljubljana
duration of the exhibition: 13 May - 26 May 2013
10 Nominees:
Dan Adlešič, Anamari Hrup, Andrea Knezović, Eva Lucija Kozak, Gregor Maver, Živa Petrič, Matej Stupica, Saša Šuštar, Valérie Wolf Gang, Jure Zrimšek
Press contact in Slovenia: Sabina Raca Habjan, Tel: +386 1/ 546 62 52,
Email: sabina_racahabjan@baumax.com

CROATIA NOMINEES' NIGHT, 14 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Muzej Suvremene Umjetnosti Zagreb (MSU) | Avenija Dubrovnik 17, HR-10000 Zagreb
duration of the exhibition: 14 May - 02 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Vanja Babić, Anja Jelaska, Leona Kadijević, Ana Kovačić, Margareta Lekic, Mario Leko, Jelena Lovrec, Petra Mrša, Stjepan Šandrk, Marita Stanić
Press contact in Croatia: Sabina Raca Habjan, Tel: +386 1/ 546 62 52,
Email: sabina_racahabjan@baumax.com

HUNGARY NOMINEES' NIGHT, 16 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Magyar Fotográfusok Háza - Mai Manó Ház | 1065 Budapest, Nagymező utca 20
duration of the exhibition: 16 May - 09 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Bence Bálint, Kitti Gosztola, Olga Kocsi, Kund Kopacz, Gábor Kristóf, Bettina Nem, Máté Pacsika, Dóra Pelczer, Kata Száraz, Dia Zékány
Press contact in Hungary: Barbara Schmidt, Tel: +36 1 2194 ? 115, Mobil: +36 20 460 9387,
Email: barbara_schmidt@baumax.com

SLOVAKIA NOMINEES' NIGHT, 17 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Galéria MEDIUM | Hviezdoslavovo nám. 18., SK-184 37 Bratislava 1
duration of the exhibition: 17 May - 10 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Janka Duchoňová, Dominik Hlinka, Jana Kapelová, Ján Kekeli, Marcel Mališ, Adam Šakový, Ivana Šáteková, Denisa Slávová, Monika Stacho, Zuzana Žabková
Press contact in Slovakia: Marek Šulc, Tel: +421 248 278 ? 890,
Email: Marek_Sulc@baumax.com

BULGARIA NOMINEES' NIGHT, 27 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Academia Gallery / National Academy of Art Sofia (NAA) | 1 Shipka street, BG- Sofia 1000
duration of the exhibition: 27 May - 16 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Zoran Georgiev, Velina Kokalova, Konstantin Kostov, Pavel Lefterov, Kalina Mavrodieva, Martin Penev, Yasena Popova, Boris Pramatarov, Alexander Valchev, Leda Vaneva
Press contact in Bulgaria: Velina Zaharieva, Tel: +359 2 8073 ? 711, Mobil: + 359 885 983 089, Email: Velina_Zaharieva@baumax.com

ROMANIA NOMINEES' NIGHT, 28 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
Victoria Art Center | Calea Victoriei Street, Nr. 12C, bl. A, Sector 3, Bucureşti
duration of the exhibition: 28 May - 23 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Alin Bozbiciu, Vladimir Buburuzan, Raluca Croitoru, Daniel Nicolae Djamo, Carmen Dobre, Andreea Floreanu, Lucian Indrei, Mădălina Lazăr, Andrei Mateescu, Andra Nedelcu
Press contact in Rumania: Julia Anca Besnea, Tel: +40 - 31 620 27 00, Mobil: 0040 731 700 624, Email: julia-anca_besnea@baumax.com

TURKEY NOMINEES' NIGHT, 29 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
MSGSÜ Tophane-i Amire KSM (Tek Kubbe Salonu) | Bogazkesen cad. Defterdar Yokuşu No:2, Tophane-Beyoglu, Istanbul
duration of the exhibition: 29 May - 23 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Sabahattin Ömer Akdag, Emre Anilmiş, Ragip Basmazölmez, Bashir Borlakov, Seçil Büyükkan Atmaca, Hakan Dagdelen, Burak Delier, Nezihe Karakaya, Volkan Kiziltunç, Irem Tok
Press contact in Turkey: Can Okcuoglu, Tel: +90 (212) 630 20 30 151,
Email: can_okcuoglu@baumax.com

CZECH REPUBLIC NOMINEES' NIGHT, 31 May 2013
Venue + award ceremony:
FUTURA centrum pro soucasné umení | Holečkova 49 ? Smíchov, CZ-150 00 Praha 5
duration of the exhibition: 31 May - 30 June 2013
10 Nominees:
Matěj Al-Ali, Karíma Al-Mukhtarová, Jan Brož, Terezie Foldynová, Jakub Geltner, Blanka Kirchner, Eliška Perglerová, Rudolf Samohejl, Viktor Takáč, Tomáš Werner
Press contact in Czech Republic Marek Šulc, Tel: +421 248 278 - 890,
Email: Marek_Sulc@baumax.com

>Transcending Cultures<
06.12.2013 ? 02.03.2014
Essl Museum, An der Donau-Au 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg/Vienna, Österreich

In December 2013 all award winners will be present their works in a comprehensive group exhibition at the Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg / Vienna, Austria.

PRESS CONTACTS AT THE ESSL MUSEUM / AUSTRIA:
Erwin Uhrmann (head) and Regina Holler-Strobl
ESSL MUSEUM - Contemporary
An der Donau-Au 1, A-3400 Klosterneuburg / Vienna
Austria
T: +43 (0)2243 - 370 50 60 und T: +43 (0)2243 - 370 50 62
email: uhrmann@essl.museum and holler-strobl@essl.museum
www.essl.museum