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List of finalists for the Luxembourg Art Prize

List of finalists for the 2021 Luxembourg Art Prize

Group 1

Christian Bold

42, Germany, Painting
Master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB), Germany
“While meticulously preparing each painting, I try to find and maintain a balance between an affirming enthusiasm and an implicit skepticism, between pleasure in the show and a disdain for clichés. The wordplay in the title of the work, which is a reference to a dance, is meant to suggest the ritualized elements of a street fight. The visual allusion to Hokusai’s woodblock print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” doesn’t just make the composition more dynamic, it also creates a median line with one of my visual models.”

Bambuleo, 2017 - Acrylic on canvas - 200 x 300 cm (79 x 118 in)

Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux

26, France, Painting
French National Diploma of Visual Arts (DNAP), Beaux-Arts de Paris
“Naitre à soi [Finding Oneself] is the energy with which we work on our own uniqueness while using a library of references that are plural. It’s actually a phenomenon of creolization, of archipelization: the way that different cultural references branch out to each other across geographic areas and mental landscapes, forming a contact zone that I try to transcribe into a composition, a canvas.”

Naître à soi [Finding Oneself], 2020 - Oil and gouache on canvas - 162 x 130 cm (64 x 51 in)

Susan Kremer

29, Czech Republic & Hungary, Digital arts
Bachelor in Visual Representation from BKF, Budapest Metropolitan University (now METU)
“My series Empty Spaces represents my approach and my interpretation of the fear of emptiness caused by the virus. When I walked through the empty streets, I felt like I was trespassing on private property, crossing the border into a place where I never should have been. The skeleton of the cities that loomed around me during these daily walks filled up with digital life after curfew, once we found ourselves trapped within our own walls.”

Empty Spaces, 2021 – Digital work

Jennifer Lescouët

34, France, Photography
Self-taught
“It was in the context of suddenly going deaf at age eight that, during adolescence, I became interested in photography. It was a tool that, early on, allowed me to express myself and develop a “gaze that hears.” I transcribe the movements of sign language, playing with the photographic exposure time. The challenge is to show the movement of the sign while keeping the model’s face in focus.”

Les mots du Silence, Signe: ‘Langue des signes’ [Words of Silence, Sign: Sign Language], 2015 - Photography

Zoran Mishe

37, Bulgaria & North Macedonia, Printmaking, Etching
Bachelor in Visual Arts from the National Academy of Art Sofia, Bulgaria
“In printmaking, sharing and teamwork are essential to developing one’s personal talents. In this series on Legos, I’m trying to understand the way our interpretations of the world vary according to age. When children build with Legos, they construct their own visions of the world. The question is to know whether, once they grow up, they will create the same representation of the world if they play the same game.”

The Truth - Let's Play I, 2021 – Print – 66 x 100 cm (26 x 39 in)

Francis O'Shaughnessy

41, Canada, Photography
Doctorate in The Study and Practice of Art, Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada)
“During my research, I had the idea of setting up a bellows device in front of a computer to convert digital representations into wet collodion. I wanted to revisit previous productions and “recontextualize,” reinterpret my favorites. The result turned out to be so interesting that I made a series. In this way, I have anchored ancient processes with the technology of today.”

Plaque 58, 2020 - Wet collodion

Celina Portella

44, Brazil, Mixed media (Photography)
Maîtrise [three-year degree] in Visual Arts - Université St. Denis/Paris VIII, France
Visual Design and Communication - PUC-RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“I’m interested in the representation of the body and its relationship with space. My work has a profound connection with the world of choreography, because of my professional experience with dance. Using the artifice of trompe l'oeil and the radical integration of media, I work in the ambiguous terrain between the material and the immaterial, between the world’s objectivity and illusion.”

Corte/1 [Cut/1], 2019, Cut photograph, 135 x 95 cm (53 x 37 in)

Jeanne K Simmons

57, United States (Washington), Sculpture, Decorative arts
BFA from the Maine College of Art in Portland (Maine, United States)
“I am passionate about working in nature, with natural materials, to address issues concerning women, humanity and the Earth. The work presented is a celebration of the beauty of the natural world, and the beauty of our place in that world.”

“Lace Skirt”, 2019, Queen Anne’s lace and weaving techniques.

Group 2

Nina K Ekman

42 years old, Denmark and Norway, Sculpture (Textile)
Self-taught
“I grew up in the north of Norway, and my relationship with nature is a personal passion. The selected work questions the unsustainability of our modern lifestyles and invites the observer to reflect on our linear consumption methods, fast fashion and the consequences of our negligence on the future of the planet. I use second-hand clothing and wool scraps from the textile industry to create my works. Turfting is a method for weaving rugs.”

Please touch me, 2020, Turfting of unsold wool, wood, metal, concrete, old newspapers - Varied dimensions

Anna Guadagnini

38 years old, United Kingdom & Italy, Photography
BA in Fine Arts from CIT Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Ireland
“My work is comprised mainly of portraits. My intimate approach and the autobiographical nature of my practice often translate into self-portraits. My photos present a powerful narrative, an intermediary, part of a larger story. For this project in particular, Clarissa Pinkola’s book, Women Who Run With the Wolves, was a big source of inspiration.”

Like a Fish in a Bottle, 2021 – Digital photography

Kyle Hoffmann

36 years old, Australia, Photography
Self-taught
“Having grown up in Wisconsin, my artistic outlook was primarily passed on to me by my grandfather, a watercolor artist. My photographic creation is more like the creation of a painting. My method focuses on distilling the image down to its fundamental parts and emphasizes lines, shapes and movement in the eyes of the viewer.”

Paper 9, 2021 - Photo taken with a Hasselblad 500C/M, 120 mm f4 with bellows, film developed by hand. Film: Bergger Pancro 400

Leonardo Laino

41 years old, Italy, Decorative Arts (Mosaic)
Degree in Applied Arts on Fabric from the National Art Institute of Castrovillari (Cosenza) in Italy
“The art of mosaic is ‘a small piece that, at first glance, is useless but when combined with others, creates beauty’. The work presented is the result of a long and almost obsessive search to add malleability to the mosaic technique. Marble, which is a heavy material in itself, takes on fluidity and lightness in a rippling play of waves which is reminiscent of the shape of a scarf.”

Foulard (Scarf), 2015 – Marble and fiberglass, 60 x 77 x 5 cm (24 x 30 x 2 in).

Jerci Maccari

72 years old, Brazil, Painting, 6th time participating
Self-taught
“In my paintings, I develop a socio-geographic-cultural and historical account of family farming, widely practiced in the southern part of the country and strongly influenced by European immigration to Brazil in the early 20th century. The absence of faces on my characters is a social critique of the lack of importance given to rural workers.”

Semeadura em Tempos Sombrios I (Sowing in a Dark Time), 2021

Pilar Martínez

40 years old, Spain, Photography
Self-taught
“I experiment with my own body in sometimes unsettling places where it seems that neither time nor space exist. In this work, I wanted to capture the intangible and fleeting side of my being, and my camera proved to be the perfect instrument to help me succeed.”

Desde el interior (From the Inside), 2017 – Digital photography

Ryu Morizane

29 years old, Japan, Drawing, 2nd time participant
Self-taught
“I strive to explore new ways of representing flowers in drawings. Monochromatic with its flower motif, this design has a structure that gives a simple and symbolic impression. It took over a year and a half to complete.”

The Flowers, 2020 - Charcoal on paper, 88x143 cm

Laisvydė Šalčiūtė

57 years old, Lithuania, Painting
Doctor of Arts program at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania
“In my work, I collect images that interest me and random bits of text on the Internet. I recycle them, as one would do with plastic bottles, and I rewrite them by changing their context and meaning through the principle of paradox. I then reuse them in a new work to create a visual fairy tale for adults which presents our reality as it’s constructed by the representation.”

The Rape of Europa, 2019, Wood engraving, oil and acrylic on canvas, 159 x 159 cm (63 x 63 in.)

Group 3

Saoud Abdallah

45 years old, Jordan & Syria, Mixed Media
Self-taught
“I always think that a work of art should be as simple and as expressive as possible. I like the austerity and simplicity of shapes and colors. All my works are made from natural black sand with no artificial colors. The sand used comes from the Jebel Shihan volcano in the city of Soueïda in Syria. The white is zinc dust or titanium powder.”

Souvenirs, 2020, natural sand and other materials on canvas, 150 x 150 cm (59 x 59 in)

Holly Boruck

66 years old, United States (California), Painting
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from California State University, Northridge (California, USA)
“I have a deep interest in the human psyche and in earthly experiences. In my work, I strive to capture the richness of the human experience through expressions on faces and in body movements, all while representing the intellect, emotions and spirit. The work presented explores the relationship between humans and nature, and in particular how human activity accelerates the effects of entropy on the natural environment.”

Entropic 02, 2021 - Ink, colored pencils on paper – 46 x 36cm (18 x 14 in)

Fabian Bürgy

41 years old, Switzerland, Sculpture
Degree from the Professional School of Sculpture at the University of the Arts in Bern, Switzerland
“I create a minimalistic world inspired by a wide range of objects and appearances of the most ordinary. Tetrapods are a type of structure used to prevent erosion and to reinforce coastal structures such as seawalls and breakwaters. The work presented is my symbolic sculpture of 2020. It’s a symbol of the pandemic, but also of humanity exposed to the forces of nature, such as climate change.”

Tetrapod - Breaking the COVID-19 Wave, 2020 - Material: concrete. Technique: Negative mold (3D printing) filled with cement.

Oblivion Dope

26 years old, Portugal, Digital Art
Self-taught
“I’m passionate about nature, culture and technology, and this interest is reflected in the way I draw an image. In this digital work, "Blue Lady", I decided to illustrate a female character in an allegorical world, where nature and animal life blend together in a coherent way and create a mystical and colorful image.”

Blue Lady, 2021 - Digital illustration, digital painting, digital tools.

Mila Hacke

48 years old, Germany, Photography
Master of Arts, Architecture and Interior Design, MA Arch., London Metropolitan University (United Kingdom)
“My work is an architectural photography research project that currently focuses on the Allies in Berlin and the architectural heritage of the four powers. The camera is my research tool. Through the focused image, I can show references by way of dialogues with other buildings and other eras.”

Allies in Berlin - The Architectural Heritage, 2020 – Architectural research work through photography

INSANE 51

29 years old, Greece, Street Art
Graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts
“My main concept is based on love stories. My style is a double vision exposure technique that requires 3D glasses to see the various layers. I always use skeletons and portraits, because no matter how much we try to portray ourselves, in the end we are just bones and a skeleton. We're all the same inside. We’re all humans.”

MOONCAKE, 2019 - Acrylic spray paint on a 700 m2 wall in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) – 17 x 40 meters (670 x 1.575 in)

Alena Kutnikova

39 years old, Russia, Photography
Self-taught
“I took advantage of the isolation during the forced confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic to begin photographing still lifes, being inspired by the Flemish paintings of the 17th century to reinterpret this theme in a modern way. I try to imagine which materials and accessories the Dutch masters might use if they were alive in our time.”

Still Life, 2021 – Digital Photography, Canon 5D Mark IV, EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

Miriam Pertegato

43 years old, Italy, Painting & Collage on Paper
Degree in Painting from the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, Italy
“The drawing presented represents a sleeping nude Venus as a child. Next to her sits a little Cupid who is patiently waiting for her to wake up and is amused by watching a little garter snake in his hand. It is a work that comes from my great admiration for the Venus of Dresden by Giorgione and from my interest in the iconography of the sleeping Venus, that is, the celebration of inert, pure and natural beauty, the promise of awakening and, in this case, of development and maturation.”

Venere dormiente (Sleeping Venus), 2020 - Ink, tempera and collage on Fabriano 300 g/m art paper

List of finalists for the 2020 Luxembourg Art Prize

Monika Bulaj

54, Italy and Poland. Photography.
2nd entry
Self-taught
“My work concerns minorities in danger, nomads, and pilgrims. I look for places that serve as bridges located at cultural and spiritual borders, at the crossroads of forgetting minorities, relating the weakest beliefs and traditions, their fragile resistance, as well as their openness to dialogue.”

“The boat. Sierra Leone”, 2020. Hahnemühle print. Variable dimension

Ann Carrington

58, United Kingdon. Sculpture.
Master’s from Royal College of Art, London
“My sculptures tell stories with everyday objects; using a variety of found objects is a fundamental element of my work. My metallic flower bouquets form a modern-day memento mori.”

“Snowball in Delft,” 2020. This work was created from welded and brazed spoons and from metal cutlery. 73 x 58 x 58 cm (29 x 23 x 23 in.)

Sara Genn

48, Canada (British Columbia) & USA (California). Painting
BFA, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
“According to the principles of the Japanese aesthetic wabi-sabi, objects and experiences increase in beauty when they evoke a feeling of spiritual desire. These paintings also strive to offer a space for visual pleasure with objects that occupy the space in a way that blurs the signifiers of genre, art, and monuments.”

“The moon woke me up fifteen times,” 2020. Acrylic on canvas in the artist’s frames. 155 x 485 cm (61.5 x 191 in.)

Dieudonné Gottfried Zola

23, Congo (Kinshasa). Painting
Student
“My work focuses on highlighting visible minorities, otherness, and the body and its relationship with space. The representation of the body in this duality that encompasses it; between vulnerability and vehemence.”

“Florian,” 2020 – Oil on canvas – 89 x 146 cm (35 x 57 in.)

麻由美井上 (Mayumi Inoue)

32, Japan. Mixed media techniques
Graduate in fashion design, Faculty of Arts, Joshibi University of art and design
“As part of my approach, the hair lost by cancer patients during their treatment is collected, then woven into works of art to give it a second life. The memories of each are woven into the hair which becomes proof of existence, symbols of life.”

“Thread of Life – Fabienne #2,” 2020 – Hair weaving – 29.5 x 29.5 cm (11.6 x 11.6 in.)

Daniela Romanesi

44, Brazil. Photography.
2nd entry
Self-taught
“I express myself though nature macro photography. This technique represents one of my personality traits: curiosity. After taking this photo, I felt delivered from anxieties that were provoked by my husband’s heart attack, which he has now recovered from.”

“Arterial IX”, 2016 – Print photography on paper – 90 x 60 cm (35 x 24 in.)

Lionel Sabatté

44, France. Mixed media techniques
Graduate of the National School of Fine Arts in Paris
“The realm of the living as well as the transformation of material due to the passage of time are at the heart of my work. I cultivate material that carries within it the trace of a living thing: dust, ash, coal, dead skin, tree stumps…These elements are combined with unexpected material and works are thus created.”

“Red fortune and sub cutaneous,” 2019 – Oil on canvas. 130 x 130 cm (51 x 51 in.)

Julian Semiao

23, France. Painting.
2nd entry
Master’s in fine arts from the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
“Having been influenced by the strength of raw art and by the vitality of neo-expressionism and free figuration, I draw my sources of inspiration into spontaneous and engaged pop art. I’m showing my vision of a contemporary society that is constantly in motion.”

“Exile,” 2019 – Acrylic on canvas. 190 x 165 cm

Tim Smith

41, Canada (Manitoba). Photography
Graduate in Photojournalism – Western Academy of Photography – Victoria, BC, Canada
“I built relationships of trust with the Hutterite communities of western Canada over the course of the last ten years. Their culture continues to be preserved thanks to their deliberate separation from the dominant society and their system of financial self-reliance. They represent perhaps the most successful attempt at community life in modern history. The selected work is the portrait of Justin after his second day of slaughtering thousands of laying hens. The work is hard, and most of the able members of the colony must participate.”

“Portrait of Justin Hofer,” 2015. Digital photography. Variable dimension.

Marc David Spengler

24, Germany. Painting
Studies in communication design from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart
“I focus on illustrations and abstract compositions. My creative approach includes creating abstract worlds via the spontaneous painting process. Each of my images is created without drawing pencil on paper, because the first sketch is generally the best and must therefore become the final image. This approach has made me both a creator and an observer.”

“Untitled,” 2020 – Acrylic on paper. 25 x 36 cm (10 x 14 in.)

Anibal Vallejo

22, Colombia. Painting
Graduate of Visual Arts, Antioquia University, Medellin, Colombia and graduate in Costume Creation, Colombian College of Design, Medellin, Colombia.
“I am interested first and foremost in the fundamentals of painting: color, shape, composition, movement, and area. In the selected work, the hand-embroidered drawing exorcizes my creative process that lasts for hours, for days, almost like a mantra that completes the pictorial language by giving the painting a third dimension.”

“Sin Título, #537” (Untitled, #537), 2018. Acrylic and hand embroidery on canvas. 200 x 150 cm (79 x 59 in.)

List of finalists for the 2019 Luxembourg Art Prize

Fosca Boggi

Age 58, Italy, merchant
Degree in Majolica Arts from Istituto d'Arte per la Ceramica, Faenza (Italy)
Inspiration: Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat

"Pony Rock", 2018, molding technique entirely in glazed ceramic, assembled without glue and therefore can be fully disassembled, 52 x 65 x 38 cm (20 x 26 x 15 in.)

Sara Bomans

Age 37, Belgium, graphic arts teacher
Training: Mixed Media (instructor: Jan Carlier) PHL (now known as PXL) – Hasselt – Belgium
Inspiration: Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle, Hans Op de Beeck, Michael Borremans, Rinus van de Velde

"I used to be sexy #5", 2018, human hair sewn to waxed paper, 32 x 26,7 cm (12.5 x 10.5 in.)

Jenna Hobbs

Age 34, Alberta (Canada), stay-at-home mom
Self-taught
Inspiration: Norman Rockwell, Sally Mann, Kirsten Lewis, Joy Prouty

"Mama tried", 2019, photograph, 57 x 84 cm (22 x 33 in.)

Yannick Ilito Betofe

28 years old, Belgium & Congo (Kinshasa)
Degree in Graphic, Visual and Spatial Arts with a concentration in Drawing, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles ‒ ESA; Brussels (Belgium)
Inspiration: Caravaggio, Francis Bacon, Jenny Saville, Lucian Freud, Marlene Dumas, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Jérôme Zonder, Leonard Cohen, Sarah kane, Henri Michaux, Andrei Tarkovsky, Tomas Tranströmer, Fabienne Verdier

"Ida", 2015, Acrylic on paper, 107 x 126.5 cm (42 x 50 in.)

Clay Johnson

55 years old, USA (Wyoming)
BA in Studio Art, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Inspiration: Agnes Martin, Brice Marden, Diego Velázquez, Edgar Degas, Frank Auerbach, Franz Kline, Kasimir Malevich, Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Richard Diebenkorn, Richard Serra, Vincent van Gogh, Willem de Kooning, Édouard Vuillard, Robert Natkin

"Box Out", 2019, acrylic on aluminum panel, 122 x 122 cm (48 x 48 in.)

Martin Lyonnet

31 years old, France
Graduate of the Maryse Eloy Art School (2011 valedictorian), Master in Visual Communication Design
Inspiration: Aaron Siskind, Daniel Buren, Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, Jacques Villeglé, Chaïm Soutine, Oscar Munoz, Carlos Cruz-Diez

"10h44", 2019, paint and collage, 161 x 114 cm (63 x 45 in.)

Adele Razkövi

41 years old, Austria
Training: Erasmus scholarship for the Alonso Cano de Grenada School of Fine Arts (Spain)
Inspiration: Eadweard Muybridge, Leonardo da Vinci, Art Brut, Eduardo Roca, Frederique Edy

"Collective Intelligence", 2018, wire and metal mesh, variable dimensions

Jon Setter

29 years old, Australia (New South Wales) & USA (Michigan)
Training: Master of Fine Arts, National Art School, 2018
Inspiration: Aaron Siskind, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Ellsworth Kelly, Michael Wolf, Piet Mondrian, Richard Diebenkorn, Stephen Shore, Thomas Struth, Yoshinori Mizutani, Andrea Grutzner, Todd Eberle, Gerry Johansson

"An Intersection of Lines and Colours", 2018, photograph, 130 x 90 cm (51 x 35 in.)

Izumi Ueda Yuu

71 years old, Japan & Portugal
Training: Kuwasawa Design Institute, Tokyo (Japan) & Bachelor of Fine Arts, The Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, United States
Inspiration: Christian Boltanski, Claes Oldenburg, Kiki Smith, Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston

"The Passage", 2019, sumi ink on paper, 198 x 210 cm (78 x 83 in.)

Duncan Wylie

Age 44, United Kingdom & Zimbabwe
Training: Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris (ENSBA)
Inspiration: David Hockney, El Greco, Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, Howard Hodgkin, Willem de Kooning, Gordon Matta Clark, Robert Smithson

"Undercurrent (Johannesburg/Londres)", 2018, oil and alkyd on canvas, 171 x 220 cm (67 x 87 in.)

Jenny Ymker

50 years old, Netherlands
It was her third submission to the Luxembourg Art Prize!
Training: Constantijn Huygens Academy of Arts, Kampen (now known as ArtEZ Zwolle)
Inspiration: Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, Grayson Perry, Louise Bourgeois

"Vervlogen (Bygone)", 2018, tapestry woven in the Gobelins style, wool and cotton, 193 x 291 cm (76 x 114 in.)

List of finalists for the 2018 Luxembourg Art Prize

Tsuyu Bridwell

51 years old, Japan & France
Self-taught
Sources of Inspiration: Alexander Calder, Andy Goldsworthy, Edward Hopper, Gabriel Orozco, Henri Matisse, Jean-Michel Othoniel, John Baldessari, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

"Wave", 2018. Cotton paper, ink, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver leaf. 70 x 210 cm (28 x 83 in.)

Lúcia Costa

57 years old, Brazil
Self-taught. Specialty: Acrylic paint
Sources of Inspiration: El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, M. C. Escher, Theo van Doesburg, Vik Muniz, Vincent van Gogh

"Tons de azul" ("Shades of blue"), 2016. Acrylic on canvas. 160 x 120 cm (63 x 47 in.)

Alexis Couzino

26 years old, Canada (Quebec)
Certificate in Visual Art and Extended Studies at Laval University (Canada, Quebec, Quebec)
Sources of Inspiration: Damien Hirst, David LaChapelle, Jeff Koons
Specialty: Performance, photography, print media.

"Mirages 5", 2018. Performance, photography, digital collage, print media. 152 x 102 cm (60 x 40 in.)

Anna Herrgott

35 years old, Germany
Studies in Photo/Space/Object/Glass at the Hochschule für Kunst und Design in Halle, Burg Giebichenstein, Germany
Sources of Inspiration: Orlan, Vanessa Beecroft

"Marquardt", 2015. Nails and string on printed photographs. 3 panels, each 45 x 35 cm (18 x 14 in.). Edition 3/3

Shawn Huckins

34 years old, USA (Colorado)
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA
Specialty: Painting
Sources of Inspiration: David Hockney, Edward Ruscha, George Caleb Bingham, Gilbert Stuart, John Singleton Copley, Richard Estes, Wayne Thiebaud

"Nothing Rhymes with Orange" (George Washington, White House Art Collection Erasure No. 5), 2018. Acrylic on canvas. 81 x 66 cm (32 x 26 in.)

Hanna Margetson-Rushmore

22 years old, United Kingdom & USA
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Parsons, New York, USA
Sources of Inspiration: Agnes Martin, Eva Hesse, On Kawara, Sol LeWitt
Specialty: Drawing on paper

"Mark Field", 2018. Drawing on Strathmore paper, pen. 56 x 76 cm (22 x 30 in.)

Noah James Saunders

38 years old, USA (Georgia)
Self-taught. Specialty: wire sculpture
Sources of Inspiration: Alexander Calder, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso

"Your Muse Is a Bitch", 2017. Wire sculpture, galvanized steel wire, wire mesh. 122 x 132 x 5 cm (48 x 52 x 2 in.)

Eugenio Schirone

17 years old, Italy
Education: V. Calò Arts High School – Grottaglie (Ta) Italy
Sources of Inspiration: Hieronymus Bosch, Paolo Uccello
Specialty: Digital Photography

"L'Eterno E Il Temporale" ("The Eternal and the Temporal"), 2018. Digital photograph on paper. 40 x 186 cm (16 x 73 in.). Triptych

Ritu Binhay Sinha

42 years old, India
Education: Master's degree in drawing and painting (specialization in frescoes and miniature painting) from Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India
Sources of Inspiration: Edvard Munch, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin
Specialty: Painting on paper and mixed media

"My First Day in This World" (Set of 16 pieces), 2018. Painting, knitting and various materials on paper. 38 x 28 cm (15 x 11 in.) X 16 pieces

Ludovic Thiriez

34 years old, Hungary & France
Mostly self-taught. 1-year painting program at the School of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary
Sources of Inspiration: Adrian Ghenie, Albert Oehlen, Cecily Brown, Gerhard Richter, Marlene Dumas, Maurizio Cattelan, Michaël Borremans, Neo Rauch, Peter Doig

"The Boy from the Neighborhood", 2018. Acrylic, ink, oil on linen. 140 x 170 cm (55 x 67 in.)

Géraldine Tobé

26 years old, Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
Education: The Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa, Congo. Painting specialization
Sources of Inspiration: Christian Boltanski

"Untitled", 2018. Paint and smoke on canvas. 200 x 190 cm (79 x 75 in.)

Wen Meng-Yu (温孟瑜)

31 years old, Taiwan
Education: MFA, Department of Fine Arts, National Arts University of Taipei (Taiwan). Specialization in Engraving
Sources of Inspiration: David Hockney, Peter Doig, René Magritte

"This Day", 2017. Acrylic on canvas, silkscreen. 100 x 80 cm (39 x 31 in.)

List of finalists for the 2017 Luxembourg Art Prize

Maria Eugenia Gamiño Cruz

56 years old, Mexico
Education: UAEMEX-UNAM Curator's degree with a specialization in visual arts, production, management and restoration from the Polytechnic University of Valencia-UNAM. Master of visual arts, sculpture specialization, Graduate Department of San Carlos UNAM, graduated with honors. Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts from ENAPUNAM, graduated with honors. Hand-made drawing in Cuenca, Ecuador (OAS grant). Sculpture at INBA's Center for Research and Experimentation in Fine Arts
Specialty: Sculpture
Sources of Inspiration: Alexander Calder, Andy Goldsworthy, Anthony Caro, Antony Gormley, Carl Andre, Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Gabriel Orozco, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois

"Encuadre De Distintos Tiempos" (Frame Representing Different Moments), 2014, Mixed media (wood, washers and branches). 93 cm x 114 cm x 16 cm (37 x 45 x 6 in.)

Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė

40 years old, Lithuania
Education: Postgraduate degree at the Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania). Received the qualifying diploma of a Bachelor of the Arts. Artistic project and thesis subject: “The relationship between modernity and ethnic tradition in contemporary Lithuanian textiles.”
Specialty: Sculpture in cross-stitch on metal
Sources of Inspiration: Banksy, Jeff Koons, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois

"Donald Bubble Gum", 2016. Drilling, welding, cross-stitch, 4 old metal buckets, cotton, various chewing gum papers under glass frame. 120 cm x 600 cm x 40 cm (47 x 236 x 16 in.)

Jarik Jongman

55 years old, Netherlands
Education: Academy of Arts, 1990-1992, Hogeschool v/d Kunsten, Arnhem, The Netherlands
Specialty: Painting
Sources of Inspiration: Adrian Ghenie, Anselm Kiefer, Peter Doig

"It’s Gonna Be Great, It’s Gonna Be Fantastic", 2017. Oil, acrylic, tar, plaster, and gold leaf on panel. 180 x 244 cm (71 x 96 in.)

Vladimir Kartashov (Владимир Карташов)

20 years old, Russia
Training: NGHU, Novosibirsk, Russia. Specialty: Oil painting
Sources of Inspiration: Diego Rivera, El Greco, Giorgio de Chirico

"Фантомы прошедших эпох" ("Fantasies of Past Eras"), 2016. Oil on canvas. 160 x 120 cm (63 x 47 in.)

Jennifer Krause Chapeau

55 years old, USA (New Jersey)
Education: BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) from the Michigan School of Art. Specialty: Painting
Sources of Inspiration: Alice Neel, Anselm Kiefer, Chantal Joffe, Eric Fischl, Fairfield Porter, George Bellows, Gerhard Richter, Gustave Caillebotte, Gustav Klimt, John Singer Sargent, Lois Dodd, Neil Welliver, Rackstraw Downes, Vincent van Gogh, Yvonne Jacquette

"Colza Field II", 2015. Oil on canvas. 66 x 87 cm (26 x 34 in.)

Jeppe Lauge

37 years old, Denmark & the Netherlands
Education: Academie Gerrit Rietveld, Baccalauréat in Fine Arts (2008-2011), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Specialty: Painting
Sources of Inspiration: Adrian Ghenie, David Hockney, Peder Severin Krøyer, Peter Doig

"Rolling Hills", 2017. Oil on canvas, 190 x 230 cm (75 x 91 in.)

Sali Muller

36 years old, Luxembourg
Education: Master of Visual Arts, UMB Marc Bloch University, Strasbourg, France
Specialty: Installation, Sculpture
Sources of Inspiration: Mona Hatoum, Tracey Emin

"Verschiebung der Wirklichkeit" ("Change of reality"), 2017. Mirror and cut frame. 102 x 98 x 4 cm (40 x 39 x 2 in.)

Alexandra de Pinho

40 years old, Portugal
Education: Doctoral thesis "‘OmphalOskepsis’ (‘Navel-gazing’). An approach to the surrounding media" under the supervision of Prof. Juan Moraza at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Pontevedra University of Vigo [ES]
Specialty: Fabric, stitched thread, and watercolor on paper
Sources of Inspiration: Ellen Gallagher, Louise Bourgeois, Lygia Clark, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Robert Rauschenberg, Shirin Neshat

"Cartas Dispersas I" ("Scattered Letters I"), 2017. Fabric, sewn lines and watercolor on paper. 50 x 100 cm (20 x 39 in.)

Steeven Salvat

26 years old, France
Self-taught. Specialty: Rotring and India ink drawing on paper, antique engraving
Sources of Inspiration: Albrecht Dürer, Gustave Doré, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Leonardo da Vinci

"Mentonapodes", 2017. Rotring and India ink on Canson paper washed with black tea. 29 x 41 cm (11 x 16 in.)

René Seifert

36 years old, Germany
Education: School of Art and Design, Burg Giebichenstein - Halle/Saale, Germany
Sources of Inspiration: Gerhard Richter, Jackson Pollock, Pierre Huyghe, Rosemarie Trockel, Paul Klee, Alexander McQueen, Sterling Ruby, Christopher Wool, Autechre, Superflex, Santiago Sierra, Allan Turing, Immanuel Kant, Husserl, Wittgenstein, John Berger, Marcuse, Hannah Ahrendt, Foucault, Bourdieux, Einstein, Hawking Uvm

"TRA n EC (4)", 2016. Lacquer on transparent polyester film & aluminum. 180 x 135 cm (71 x 53 in.)

Lalula Vivenzi

31 years old, Colombia & Italy
Self-taught. Specialty: Photography
Sources of Inspiration: Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, M. C. Escher, Marina Abramović, Sandro Botticelli, Yayoi Kusama

"Fosa común" ("Common Pit"), 2016. Digital photography. Edition 1/3. 106 x 150 cm (42 x 59 in.)

Muhammad Z Zaman

26 years old, USA (New Jersey)
Self-taught. Specialty: Painting & calligraphy
Sources of Inspiration: Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko

"Darkness and Light", 2016. Acrylic on canvas. 91 x 61 cm (36 x 24 in.)

List of finalists for the 2016 Luxembourg Art Prize

Alexei A. Izmaylov

Age 31, Russia and the UK
Speciality: mixed media
Primarily self-taught.
Degree in Visual Communication and Graphic Design, University of Leeds, UK.
Degree in History of Art, University of Leeds, UK.
Inspiration: Asger Jorn, Cy Twombly, Donald Judd, Edward Ruscha, Erwin Wurm, Francis Bacon, Franz West, Guy Bourdin, Hans Haacke, John Baldessari, Juergen Teller, Marcel Duchamp, Marlene Dumas, Ryan McGinley, Sarah Lucas, Thomas Ruff

"Untitled (Fig. 2)", 2016, mixed media on canvas, 120 x 100 cm, unique

Renata Franzky

Age 47, Germany
Speciality: painting
Self-taught
Inspiration: Anselm Kiefer, Caravaggio, El Greco, Lucian Freud, Maria Lassnig, Max Beckmann

"Anuntiatio en Supermercado", 2016, acrylic on canvas, 170 x 135 cm, unique

Jaeyeol Han

Age 33, South Korea
Speciality: painting
Degree in Fine Art, Suwon University, South Korea
Inspiration: Jenny Saville, Paul Cézanne, Peter Paul Rubens, Willem de Kooning

"Passersby, Unmask", 2013, oil on canvas, 91 x 73 cm, unique

John Haverty

Age 29, USA (Massachusetts)
Specialities: painting, drawing
Master's in Fine Art, Savannah College of Arts and Design, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Bachelor's degree in Fine Art, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Inspiration: Dieric Bouts, Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dalí

"Circus", 2015, "Gangrene" series, ink and watercolour on paper, 120 x 120 cm, unique

Bartosz Kołata

Age 37, Poland and Germany
Speciality: painting
Master's in Art Conservation and Restoration, Nicolaus Copernicus University, UMK (Poland)
Inspiration: Ambrosius Holbein, Andrzej Wróblewski, David Hockney, Jan van Eyck, Marlene Dumas

"Chandelier", 2016, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 cm, unique

Maurice Mbikayi

Age 42, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa
Specialities: video, sculpture
Master's in Fine Art, Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa
Degree, Academy of Fine Arts, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
State Diploma, Academy of Fine Arts, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Inspiration: Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois, Marcel Duchamp, Yinka Shonibare

"Web Jacket", 2015, digital video, 9 minutes, edition of 5 + 3 artist proofs

Graciana Piaggio

Age 45, Argentina
Speciality: photography
Self-taught
Inspiration: Adriana Lestido, Frank Auerbach, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Joel Meyerowitz, Josef Sudek, Minor White, Nicolas de Staël, Richard Diebenkorn, Rinko Kawauchi, Sally Mann, Willem de Kooning

"The burden of time", 2006-2016, 20 fine-art prints on baryta paper, 40 x 60 cm each, 200 x 350 cm together, edition of 12

Jose Sierra Vega

Age 26, Colombia
Speciality: photography
Master's in Fine Arts, Bolivar University of Fine Arts and Sciences, Cartagena, Colombia
Inspiration: Felix Gonzales-Torres, George Platt Lynes, Gilbert & George, Marcel Duchamp, Nan Goldin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Wilhelm von Gloeden

"Sans titre", 2016, self-portrait, fine-art print on baryta paper, 100 x 80 cm, unique

Melissa Vandenberg

Age 38, USA (Kentucky)
Speciality: sculpture
Master's in Fine Arts, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA
Inspiration: Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Louise Bourgeois, Shirin Neshat, Yinka Shonibare

"Sink or Swim: Family Style", 2012, life jackets, American flags, wood, 122 x 43 x 61 cm, unique

Simon Vienne

Age 24, France
Speciality: photography
Second entry to the Luxembourg Art Prize (2015, 2016)
Technical Certificate in Photography & Technical Diploma in Photography (distinction) from URMA (Regional University of the Craft Trades) in Tourcoing
Inspiration: Andreas Gursky, Gregory Crewdson, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Josef Koudelka, Peter Lindbergh, Philippe Halsman, Sebastião Salgado, Stephen Shore, Steve McCurry, Vivian Maier, William Klein, Willy Ronis

"Soccer Time", 2015, fine-art print on baryta paper, edition of 3

List of finalists for the 2015 Luxembourg Art Prize

June Allen

52 years old, Franco-American. Born in the USA. Lives in France
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Pratt Institute, New York. Master of Fine Arts, The Sorbonne. PhD thesis in progress, Fine Arts, The Sorbonne.

"Triptych", 2015, cut-up writing on the creative process reconstituted at random and stuck behind tracing paper between two panes of glass, 67 x 29 cm (3 panels)

Frédéric Blaimont

Age 67, French. Born and lives in France.
École d’Art Graphique (Kunstgewerbeschule) - Basel - Switzerland, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs - Paris - France