Art Moves Festival attracts interest from artists around the world
Date uploaded: August 14, 2013
The International Art on Billboard Festival, Art Moves, is the only festival of billboard art in the world. The works presented in the urban space during the festival are divided into two categories – the main exhibition and the competition exhibition. For the competition exhibition, the most interesting pieces by young artists from all over the world are selected. These works constitute a creative artistic statement centred around the festival’s competition slogan. We prepare the topics for our annual competition in such a way, as to make them reflect the processes and social phenomena that shape the contemporary, global world. These topics are rooted in our deep sociological, psychological and philosophical considerations and they testify to our concern with the shape of the reality surrounding us.
401 artists from 55 countries entered the Billboard Art Contest this year. We received 750 art works from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Macedonia, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, France, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Turkey and many others! The substantial interest in the festival among the artists from all over the world points to the enormous potential of the idea behind the festival and of art presented in the public space.
This year, the theme of the Art on Billboards Competition was: 'The community or the individual? Support or control?' The competition slogan can be treated as a metaphor of all the processes taking place in the world at the moment. For thousands of years people have been living in communities. The community helped individuals survive and the fate of the individual was largely dependent on the community. At the same time, while co-creating the community, the individual had an influence on the fate of the community. Thanks to the common effort of the members of the tribe, it was possible to hunt animals or repulse enemies – the individual would not have been able to survive in that world on his/her own. Nevertheless currently, along with social, technological and economic changes as well as in the face of contemporary individualism, this interdependence between the individual and the community is not so obvious. Which is more important today: the individual or the community? Are we able to live entirely independently, beyond any communities? Are communities - both the big ones (national or ethnic) and the small ones (neighbouring, peer or family) - in the state of crisis? Can we function as unconnected individuals without any lasting ties or common identity? And what if this is impossible? How can we build the community that would give particular individuals the possibility for development? Should the community support or rather control individuals? On the other hand, has one person the right to control the entire community? How can we find the balance? On what principles should the global human community be based so that we could all function in it? Which is more important: The community or the individual? Support or control?
The international jury panel selected the 10 most interesting projects which will be exhibited on billboards in the competition component of Art Moves Festival 2013. The jury panel included:
- Susan O’Malley / artist, curator, San Jose, California, USA
- Adam Niklewicz / artist, North Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Rafał Góralski / artist, curator, Art Moves Festival director, Toruń, Poland
Here is the list of honoured artists:
- Thomas Rousset / France
- Leah Rosenberg / USA
- Ju-ah Kwon / USA
- Alain Schibli / Switzerland
- Xiaoliang Lin / China
- Paweł Caban / Poland
- Dik Him Fung / China
- Majid Soleymani / Iran
- Sasha Priymak / Ukraine
- Lex Drewinski / Germany / Poland
The jury decided to confer the main award of 7000 PLN to Thomas Rousset from France.
The Festival starts on 6th of September 2013 in Toruń. 10 works will be displayed on billboards in the competition exhibition of the Festival. During the main exhibition, the works of renowned and highly regarded artists from all over the world will be presented: Jerzy Kosałka/ Poland, Alireza Nosrati / Iran, Sina Fakour / Iran, Saleh Zanganeh / Iran, Mahdi Vafayi / Iran, Christopher Scott / Ecuador, Agnieszka Ziemiszewska / Poland, Joanna Górska i Rafał Góralski (Galeria Rusz) / Poland.
Art Moves Festival was held under the honorary patronage of Juliusz Gojło Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Michał Zaleski, President of Toruń.
The festival has been co-funded by the Local Authorities of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Toruń Municipality.
Partners: Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tehran, Foundation Lech Walesa Institute „Solidarity with Iran”, STGU, CityCelebrity.ru
Media sponsorship: Aktualne Konkursy, Graphic Competition, Artysta.pl, TV Toruń, Radio Pik, Arteon, Artluk, Rynek i Sztuka, Design Attack, Independent, o.pl, AMS SA., Kampanie Społeczne, Gdzie się wybrać, Masz wolne, Marketing przy kawie, Co w Toruniu, Kulturalny Toruń.
Contact: [email protected]
