Contemporary Lynx - print and online magazine on art & visual culture |

Winners

Paul Debashish, Latifa Zafar Attaii, Ewa Ciepielewska are the three artists who impressed the jury with their works and won the second edition of the international competition for visual artists — Allegro Prize 2021.

MAIN AWARD — 35 000 PLN

Paul Debashish

The topic of gender identity, the right to be yourself is one that is nowadays commonly discussed in artistic endeavours. His art is a poetic attempt at finding a way to describe the sensibility of LGBT+ persons. In most cases they are liquid-like figures, as if their innate complexity and diversity couldn’t be contained in a human outline. This may be their way of hiding their vulnerability, putting on an armour, even if one made of snails’ shells, or the way of expressing their insides in a nonaggressive form, full of nuances, fragility and unguardedness. He is an artist who, through performance, dance, costumes and masks (which are works of art in and of themselves) searches for a way to free himself from the conventions of the overwhelming reality. He tells of a desire for freedom of self-expression. Through costumes and masks, he tells a story about emotions and problems. The symbolic scenography of his dance – nature (a river) and city streets become a stage for a story about hidden, personal dreams. Art becomes the “doors to freedom”. Paul Debashish receives the Main Prize for the efficient, well thought out and consistent approach to portraying the idea of queer identity in the multimedia form – with the resulting piece of art always being visually pleasing. No matter If the work turns out to be a drawing, sculpture, attire, fabric, performance or a video – the nontrivial power of poetic but socially-involved message is there.

Debashish Paul
Debashish Paul, The hands are unable to touch you
Debashish Paul, Beyond The Body And Gender II
Debashish Paul, Beyond The Body And Gender I

SECOND AWARD — 10 000 PLN

Latifa Zafar Attaii

Afghan refugee based in Iran reclaims voices of people who were forcibly made to stay silent in nowadays Afghanistan, ruled by the means of martial law and patriarchy. It is a universal story that can be told by millions of people all over the world. Deprived of rights, marginalized in a masculinised world and brought down to anachronistic, ossified roles. Latifa goes for embroidery. She makes stories of dissent and rebellion. With the use of subtle alterations of the picture, she binds public and private matters into a whole. She retells the history with the emphasis on women’s and the discriminated ethnic communities’ points of view. The pin marks on Latifa’s photos are like a tattoo that each of these marginalised persons has invisibly tattooed on the face. In her art, Latifa opposes social exclusion, deprivation, and expectations. She wants to be the voice of those who do not have it, and those who are not allowed to be themselves in their own country.

Latifa Zafar Attaii
Latifa Zafar Attaii, Untitled
Latifa Zafar Attaii, Untitled
Latifa Zafar Attaii, Self Portrait

THIRD AWARD — 5 000 PLN

Ewa Ciepielewska

For the pioneering work of involving non-human subjectivity, like animals or rivers, in Polish contemporary art, for paving new paths for the traditional medium of painting and going beyond its borders just the same. Regardless of the chosen language of her artistic expression (happenings, murals, painting, performance art), the artist creates a work bigger than a simple physical object – she builds bonds, social-economic awareness and non-institutional flow of sharing knowledge and creativity. These important multigenerational projects for artists, wild nature and her recipients are created as part of the environment-integrating project called Flow/Przepływ. We appreciate her unbending determination in actions that she always carries out in accordance with herself and the deeply held belief that “Culture does not function in a vacuum. […] Nature is the culture’s home.” Approaching the end of the year, it is worth mentioning her lunar calendar which, as the artist says herself, “sets the rhythm of life” and reminds us about the value of being in harmony with nature and the world around us.

Ewa Ciepielewska, photo by Linda Jajuży
Flow / Przepływ, photo by Sophie Thun
Flow / Przepływ, photo by Magdalena Mosiewicz

special mention

Anna Perach

Anna Perach, Rusalka, performance documentation 2021, tufted yarn 175x78x60cm,

special mention

Małgorzata Mycek

special mention

Federico Estol

Federico Estol, Heroes del Brillo

special mention

Rufina Bazlova

Rufina Bazlova, Camouflage

special mention

Claire Laude

Ephemeral Intersects, Assonances, 2016 - 70,5 * 57,1 cm , Analogue Hand made Print on FUJI DP II matt Paper

special mention

Jakub Jakubowicz

Jakub Jakubowicz, Jeleń na Rykowisku

special mention

Małgorzata Lehmann

Gosia Lehmann, Divine Interventions

special mention

Radu Oreian

RADU OREIAN, The Last Agora, painting on canvas, 210x550cm, 2019

special mention

Katarzyna Wąsowska

Katarzyna Wąsowska&Marianne Wąsowska, From the left: "Virgin forest" from the book Tadeusz Chrostowski "Parana, memories of travel" from 1914 - possible source of knowledge about the nature of destination country of migrants; Member of the association of descendants of Polish immigrants in Brazil - BRASPOL; Detail of the small river in Parana nowadays.

special mention

Gaia Bellini

Gaia Bellini, Alizarina. Variazioni di luce_artist_s book_19 x 13 x 2 cm_research dyeing_year 2020

About

Allegro and Contemporary Lynx are proud to announce
the second edition of the Allegro Prize competition with a
total prize pool of 50 000 PLN.

Give artists the chance to present their works to an extremely wide range of Polish and international recipients.
Through this financial support give artists the opportunity to fully devote themselves to artistic development.
Create a platform where art lovers and professionals from all over the world can meet artists selected by the prestigious jury panel.
Search for new talent and promote the visual arts.

Calling all:

Artists from any country, all ages

representing all forms of visual arts.
Students and graduates

of art schools and colleges.
Artists who haven’t graduated

but have documented artistic pathway.

No entry fee

To help artists in the difficult situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers decided to waive all fees to enter the prize. Participation in the competition is free for everyone.

Prizes

Main Award

35 000 pln

Article in Contemporary Lynx Magazine 1(15)2021.
Article with works published in Contemporary Lynx Weekly Online and on the Allegro Prize website.
Article posted on the social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Newsletter).
Annual subscription for the print edition of Contemporary Lynx Magazine (delivery cost included).

Second Award

10 000pln

Article with works published in Contemporary Lynx Weekly Online and on the Allegro Prize website.
Article posted on the social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Newsletter).
Annual subscription for the print edition of Contemporary Lynx Magazine (delivery cost included).

Third Award

5 000 pln

Article with works published in Contemporary Lynx Weekly Online and on the Allegro Prize website.
Article posted on the social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Newsletter).
Annual subscription for the print edition of Contemporary Lynx Magazine (delivery cost included).

Special Mentions

10 x

Article with works published in Contemporary Lynx Weekly Online and on the Allegro Prize website.
Article posted on the social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Newsletter).
A copy of the latest Contemporary Lynx Magazine.

Additional Gifts

30 x

A copy of the latest Contemporary Lynx Magazine.

Jury

Valeria Napoleone

Art promoter, collector

Valeria Napoleone is an art collector and patron to a select number of art organizations. She is Head of the Development Committee at Studio Voltaire, a London based not for profit organization; a Trustee of the Contemporary Art Society; sits on the Board of Trustees at NYU Institute of Fine Arts; is a member of NYU's President's Global Council; she is an Advisory Board member of the Association of Women in the Arts and of A.I.R Gallery in NYC.
Valeria Napoleone XX was launched in 2015 as an umbrella platform for projects and initiatives working towards increasing the recognition of art practices by female artists in the world of contemporary art. Among others, Valeria Napoleone XX has ongoing collaborative projects with the Contemporary Art Society in the UK, the Sculpture Centre and the IFA in New York.
Valeria is the recipient of the prestigious Montblanc Art Patronage Award 2019.
Valeria received a BA from New York University’s Journalism School and an MA in Art Gallery Administration at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC. Valeria’s collection focuses on female contemporary artists working internationally. Forming an exceptionally close bond with artists, Valeria has supported many of today’s most acclaimed artists at pivotal moments in their careers.
Natalia Sielewicz

Curator

Graduate of the Central Saint Martins College and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Natalia is an art historian and a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, where she curated the following exhibitions: ‘Paint, also Known as Blood. Women, Affect, and Desire in Contemporary Painting’ (2019), ‘Hoolifemmes’ (2017), ‘Ministry of Internal Affairs. Intimacy as Text’ (2017), ‘Bread and Roses. Artists and the Class Divide’ (together with Łukasz Ronduda, 2015), ‘Private Settings. Art After the Internet’ (2014). She has curated and produced a number of performances and discursive events. Her texts have been published in Artforum, View. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture, and Mousse Magazine.
Andrzej Chyra

Actor, director

He is a graduate of the Faculty of Acting and the Faculty of Directing at the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. Although it was not his first film appearance, one could call Andrzej’s role of Benvollo in ‘Kolejność uczuć’ (‘Order of Emotions,’ dir. Radosław Piwowarski, 1993) as his true film debut. He is a winner of multiple awards for best actor in a leading role at the Gdynia Film Festival: first, for his portrayal of Gerard Nowak in the film ‘Dług’ (‘The Debt,’ dir. Krzysztof Krauze, 1999), then for the roles in ‘Komornik’ (‘The Collector,’ dir. Feliks Falk, 2005) and ‘W imię…’ (‘In the Name Of,’ dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, 2013). In addition, he was awarded two Polish Film Awards – Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Dług” and Best Actor for his role in ‘Komornik.’
Andrzej Chyra made his debut as an opera director with ‘Gracze’ (‘The Gamblers,’ comp. Dmitri Shostakovich) at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk in 2013. He won the Konrad Swinarski Award for his direction of the opera ‘Czarodziejska Góra’ (‘Magic Mountain,’ comp. Paweł Mykietyn). In 2018, he directed “Carmen” at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.
From 2000 to 2007, he was a member of the ensemble at the Variety Theatre in Warsaw. His collaboration with the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw (since 2008) has led to his participation in stage plays at the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris.
His other films include: ‘Tulipany’ (‘Tulips,’ dir. Jacek Borcuch, 2005), ‘Wszyscy jesteśmy Chrystusami’ (‘We’re All Christs,’ dir. Marek Koterski, 2006), ‘Katyń’ (dir. Andrzej Wajda, 2007), ‘Daas’ (dir. Adrian Panek, 2011), ‘Carte Blanche’ (dir. Jacek Lusiński, 2015) and ‘Pomiędzy słowami’ (‘Between Words,’ dir. Urszula Antoniak, 2017). His upcoming films are ‘Magnezja’ (‘Magnesia,’ dir. M. Bochniak, 2020) and ‘Śniegu już nigdy nie będzie’ (‘Never Gonna Snow Again,’ dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, 2020).

Rafał Milach

Artist, Photographer

His work focuses on the transformation in the former Eastern Bloc. He is a professor at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice and the Institute of Creative Photography of the Silesian University in Opava. Rafał is a co-founder of the Sputnik Photos collectives and the Archive of Public Protests. His award-winning photobooks include ‘The Winners,’ ‘7 Rooms,’ and ‘The First March of Gentlemen.’ He received scholarships from the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Magnum Foundation, and the European Cultural Foundation. Rafał is the winner of the World Press Photo competition and a finalist of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2018. His works have been exhibited widely both in Poland and abroad and were placed in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, and the ING Polish Art Foundation, among others. Rafał has been an associate member of Magnum Photos since 2018.
Jacek Weichert

Segment Director, Allegro

Studied art history and attended Interdisciplinary Individual Studies in Humanities and Society (MISH) in Poznań and Warsaw. In the years 2010–2013, he worked as a PR & Marketing Manager at the Bolesław Prus Academic Bookshop. He has been employed at Allegro since 2013 — as a Product Manager, he’s coordinated the development process of the Books and Graphic Novels Category, including Jacek Dukaj’s interactive book ‘Starość aksolotla.’ He has held the position of Business Unit Manager of Media and Entertainment (since 2016), followed by the Segment Director of Books and Media, Collectibles and Art (since 2018). Alongside his team, he oversees multiple projects, for instance, Allegro’s ‘Art Collector’s Zone’ aimed at galleries and auction houses.
In the Art Prize Competition, he represents the Collectibles and Art Team: Mariusz Krasowiak (Business Unit Manager), Justyna Rogozińska (Sourcing Leader - Collectibles, Books), Karolina Miszczak (Key Account Manager - Art, Antiques, Investment products).
Dobromiła Błaszczyk Sylwia Krasoń

Editors-in-Chief, directors

Dobromiła Błaszczyk — art historian, curator and author of texts about art. She’s the co-founder of the Contemporary Lynx organisation and press outlet established in London (2013), as well as the editor-in-chief of Contemporary Lynx Magazine and President of the Contemporary Lynx Foundation in Warsaw. She obtained her MA degree in art history from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. At Starmach Gallery, where she worked in the years 2009–2016, she organised and coordinated exhibitions, art fairs and projects in close collaboration with institutions and art collectors from Poland and abroad. Previously she worked with, among others, Galerie Parrotta Contemporary Art in Stuttgart, lokal_30 in Warsaw, Kraków Photomonth Festival, Art Agenda NOVA and East of Art Foundation (2007–2008). She was involved in organising the 7th edition of Biennale Jeune Création Européenne in Montrouge, France. Member of competition juries, lecturer, moderator and participant of panel discussions held in Poland and the UK.

Sylwia Krasoń — art historian, co-founder of Contemporary Lynx organisation and independent press outlet established in London (2013), editor-in-chief of Contemporary Lynx Magazine and Vice-President of the Contemporary Lynx Foundation in Warsaw (since 2018). She obtained her MA degree in art history from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, as well as an MA degree in arts policy & management with a specialisation in curating contemporary art from the Birkbeck College of the University of London. She worked at the Saatchi Gallery in London, Phillips de Pury Auction House and Barbican Art Gallery, where she joined the curators’ team as an intern and contributed to the creation of the exhibition ‘Bauhaus. Art of Life.’ She run her own London-based art gallery Wrong Door in 2012. Author of texts about art and culture, member of competition juries, conference speaker, guest and moderator of discussion panels held in Poland and the UK.

Deadlines

START

June

DEADLINE

September

SHORTLIST

November

WINNERS

December

What are the basic portfolio criteria?

The portfolio shall be submitted in English with a short biography of the artist. It should include at least 3 works (but not more than 30) in one pdf, and the file should not exceed 10MB.