This exhibition presents work by the winners of the Ars Viva prize 2017/18.
Since 1953, the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e.V. (Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy at the Federation of German Industries e.V.) has awarded the annual ARS VIVA Prize to young artists living in Germany, whose works are distinguished by their pioneering potential.
The winners in 2017/18 are Anna-Sophie Berger (1989), from Austria, and Oscar Enberg (1988) and Zac Langdon-Pole (1988), both from New Zealand.
In addition to an individual financial award, the ARS VIVA Prize, one of the most important German art prizes, also includes a residency on Fogo Island (Newfoundland, Canada) and exhibitions at both a renowned German art institution and an international one, accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue. Following their first exhibition, at the Kunstverein in Munich, the three winners are now showing their work in this newly established exhibition at S.M.A.K. In this way the museum provides a focused view of the international young art scene.
The winners were selected by an international jury chaired by Ulrich Sauerwein (Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e.V., Berlin) and made up of members of the Kulturkreis Fine Arts Committee and the directors and curators Chris Fitzpatrick (Kunstverein Munich), Martin Germann (S.M.A.K., Ghent), Zita Cobb (Fogo Island Arts), Nicolaus Schafhausen (Fogo Island Arts/Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna) and Krist Gruijthuijsen (KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin).
The exhibition is a cooperation between S.M.A.K. and the Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e. V., with the support of the Allianz Kulturstiftung.
The works of Anna-Sophie Berger have been produced in cooperation with Phileas – A Fund for Contemporary Art and Bundeskanzleramt in Austria.
