Poster ars viva 09/10 - Geschichte/History
Design: Manuel Raeder

The Kölnischer Kunstverein is delighted to be able to present this year’s prestigious ars viva prize exhibition on the theme of History. The Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e.V. (Cultural Circle of German Industry in the BDI, reg. charity) awarded the ars viva prize for visual arts of € 5,000 each to Mariana Castillo Deball (b. 1975), Jay Chung and Q Takeki Maeda (b. 1976/77), and Dani Gal (b. 1975). Three exhibitions (in the Museum Wiesbaden, in the Kölnischer Kunstverein and in the migros museum für gegenwartskunst in Zurich) in the series ars viva are linked to the promotional prize, and these will be accompanied by a catalogue in two languages and an artist’s edition. The three prize-winners were chosen from 44 artists in whose work the investigation of the construction of historical facts is of central importance.

Mariana Castillo Deball, Do ut des, 2009
Mariana Castillo Deball, The stronger the light your shadow cuts deeper, 2010
Installationsansicht 2010
Foto: Simon Vogel

It is striking that all the prize-winning artists engage in their work with the question of the construction of history, how and why it comes to be used today in the political but also the economic sphere. They concentrate in their works on the historical document as the smallest common factor on which, seen from today, agreement can be reached.

Jay Chung & Q Takeki Maeda, ohne Titel, 2009
Installationsansicht 2010
Foto: Simon Vogel

Dani Gal, Seasonal Unrest
Installationsansicht 2010
Foto: Simon Vogel