The nominees for the 2nd ANTI-Festival International Prize for Live Art have been announced. The prize will be awarded in Kuopio, Finland in September during the festival.
In the running for the euro 30,000 prize are Marilyn Arsem from the US, Saara Hannula, Finland, Myriam Lefkowitz, France, Bob & Roberta Smith, the UK, Voina Collective, Russia and Willoh S.Weiland, Australia.
The artistic directors of the festival, Johanna Tuukkanen and Gregg Whelan, said, “In their diverse artistic processes, ranging from political and environmental activism, to urban experientialism and scientific research, these exceptional artists challenge us to re-consider our relationship to both art and the world around us, all six ask essential questions about the human condition.”
The 2015 winner of the festival will be chosen by a three-member jury: curator Tang Fu Kuen, architect Sami Rintala and director of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Leevi Haapala as chair.
Underlying the award’s reputation Haapala says: “Now in its second year this prize has quickly become a very important moment in the international arts calendar – it celebrates the vitality, intelligence and cultural aspects of live art, in all of its many forms.”
The world’s only International Prize for Live Art is 30,000 euros, with the winning artist receiving a cash prize of 15,000 euros and the same amount in the form of a production grant for bringing a new work to the festival in 2016. The prize is funded by the Saastamoinen Foundation.
