World Crafts Council prize
Cynara scolynus, Reinhilde Van Grieken, 37cm x 28cm x 28cm, 2009 (photo: Dirk Theys)
The winners of the European Prize for Fine Arts, organised by the World Crafts Council have just been announced
They were selected from the 100 exhibitors involved in the WCC show currently on in the Belgian city of Mons (on until 24 January). Focusing on what the exhibition blurb describes as ‘design-led craft’, it’s a mixed media show featuring work by designer-makers from around Europe. They’ve been selected from a longlist of over 600 by an international jury of European experts – including our own CC director Rosy Greenlees – who were also responsible for choosing the two prize-winners. The first prize, or Master Prize for makers over 30, worth 3,500 euros went to Italian jeweller Grazianoa Visintin and the second prize, or Young Talent Prize for makers under 30, went to another jeweller, Rosa Nogues Freixas from Spain. Runners up were Meriv Kurvinen, Nilton Cunha and Katharina Moch.
There’s a good selection of British makers represented in the show, including such well known names as Junko Mori, who is showing her Propagation Project, an intriguing, spiky sculpture in forged mild steel looking like a cross between a bird’s nest and a sea urchin. Other UK names showing are textile artist Alice Kettle, ceramist Sasha Wardell and jewellers Andrew Lane and Sarah Kelly.
www.wc-bf.org
