Deadline: November 20, 2020
Entry Fee: Free
Prizes: €15,000, participation in the exhibition, publication in the book
Through the “Contemporary Talents” competition, François Schneider aims to support creative artists by acquiring their works and showcasing them at the Foundation’s Art Centre, which is entirely dedicated to the intersection between art and water.
Essential to all life and to the development of humanity, water is multi-faceted and yet singular. Symbolically, it is one of the four natural elements that make up the universe, alongside air, fire and earth. It lies at the heart of myths and religions, functioning as both sign and symbol, and constantly changing form. Water is certainly a natural resource, but for a large part of the population, it is also the rarest commodity.
Artists are invited to submit proposals offering a distinctive and sensitive perspective on the theme of water, whether realistic or utopian, figurative or abstract.
The competition is open to candidates of any nationality and any age, working in the following disciplines of the plastic and visual arts: painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, video or any other form of plastic or visual art. For installations and sculptures, the artists may submit either existing works or projects. For the other disciplines, only existing works may be presented.
Each candidate may only submit one work or one project.
Objectives
- To encourage artists to engage with the theme of water, which has played a part in the history of art since time immemorial.
- To encourage them to reflect upon, observe, analyse, criticise and make use of water in their creative work, exploring its properties, its symbols, its tools and its issues.
- To offer the artists a platform to reach all sections of the public.
- To encourage dialogue and networking with the cultural community.
- To develop the public’s awareness of contemporary art, particularly young people, and enable them, through the water theme, to experience and more easily perceive its diversity of perspectives.
Endowement
A maximum of 4 “Contemporary Talents” prize-winners will be chosen from amongst the candidates, each of whom will receive €15,000 for the acquisition of their work. The endowment also includes:
- A collective exhibition at the Foundation’s Contemporary Art Centre
- A bilingual publication presenting the prize-winners’ work
- The inclusion of the work in the Foundation’s collection
- A video portrait of each of the laureates.
