What is the reality of today? Attacked by an overflow of stimuli, lost in media noise, scared of what is to come – or just the opposite, that the end is near, we are looking for our own view filters. In excess, the world is not always visible.
In such context, the 19th edition of the Hestia Artistic Journey competition starts. It can be an opportunity for a broader discussion about attitudes towards the extremely dynamic changes we are experiencing. The competition is addressed to 4th and 5th year students of all artistic faculties of Polish universities.
The latest, 19th edition of the Hestia Artistic Journey competition once again turns to the young generation of artists asking for a way to tame fears, discover what is previously unknown and present their own paths in choosing what is most important. From the perspective of students just beginning their artistic ways, participation in the APH competition is a presentation of their own lens of reality to a wider audience.
All students interested in the competition, who create artworks representing a variety of media including painting, graphic arts, sculpture and installation art, photography, digital art, and performance, can submit their projects for the Hestia Artistic Journey (APH) competition by 3rd April 2020 using a special panel on the event website. The participants of the 19th edition of the APH competition will be competing for a one-month-long journey and an artist-in-residence programme in one of thriving residency centres: in New York or Vilnius. In addition, one of the finalists has a chance to win a commission to develop the visual concept of the Annual Report of the ERGO Hestia Group on commercial terms.
“Today’s reality requires great faith, strength of character and mental resilience. Excess creates chaos. We deal with it in different ways, but often we lose sight of what is important. By inviting artists to the dialogue, we check their choices and confront them with ours. Are those who say that everything has already been done are right? Is art a lens that focuses on key issues? We want to check how young people think about today’s world and give them space for expression” – comments Magdalena Kąkolewska, president of the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation.
What makes the Hestia Artistic Journey different from many other art competitions is the focus on, and fascination with, artistic endeavours of young people who have yet to graduate from their universities and art schools. In addition, participants definitely benefit from having their artworks evaluated by people from outside the academic circle.
After all, the finalists and winners of the APH competition are selected through a multi-stage adjudication based on voting by a jury composed of renowned Polish contemporary art authorities. By supporting students’ independent creative explorations, the competition organizer – the Hestia Artistic Journey (APH) Foundation – encourages young people to pave their own artistic path. It is important to stress that the APH competition is not only a process of professional evaluation and selection. It is also an extensive programme of meetings with the public, fostering dialogue between the artist and the audience, and blending different environments in the field of art. Each of the exhibitions presenting finalists’ artworks features current problems and issues which are important for the youngest generation of artists. In this sense, the perspective on the reality adopted by young artists inspires the audience to embark on their own search.
The APH competition is sponsored by Sopockie Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń ERGO Hestia SA. The initiative owes its well-established position to the institutional partners who have cooperated with the APH Foundation for years. They include art universities across Poland, the Residency Unlimited Artist-in-Residence Centre in New York, Rupert Centre in Vilnius, and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw which hosts the exhibitions featuring finalists’ works. As a result, since the competition began almost twenty years ago, a collection comprising more than 50 works of art has been created, 31 artist-in-residence programmes have been held in New York, Valencia and Vilnius, and over 50 individual and group exhibitions have been organized across Poland.
Agenda of 19th Hestia Artistic Journey Competition:
15 January 2020: start of the competition and opening of the entry panel;
3 April 2020: closing the application panel and starting the jury’s proceedings;
Till 19 June 2019: announcement the finalists of the competition;
7-20 September 2020: final exhibition at Muzeum nad Wisłą – branch of Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie;
18 September 2020: announcement of the winners’ names during the final gala at Muzeum nad Wisłą – branch of Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie.