Best Media Art Diploma Work

For the first time, WRO has prepared an exhibition of the best diploma works submitted in 2014 to the departments and faculties of media art at public art academies in Gdańsk, Katowice, Cracow, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wrocław.

Chosen artists and works:

Natalia Balska, B-612, Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow

Alicja Boncel, WiktorJa, Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice

Tomasz Koszewnik, Lucid Dream, University of Arts in Poznań

Karina Madej, Sztuka z życia, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź

Marta Mielcarek, Inwersja, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw

Justyna Orłowska, Postrzyżyny, Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk

Aleksandra Trojanowska, Pytania na wszystkie odpowiedzi, Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław

Rafał Żarski, Układ zamknięty, Szczecin Academy of Art

First Best Media Art Diploma Work Competition results:

Jury Statement
15 May 2015 Wroclaw

We are delighted with the opportunity to be part of this new initiative of the WRO Media Art Biennale. It is the first time that the biennale includes artworks by graduating students from art academies in Poland .

There are 8 academies represented with one work from each of them. And while the preselection of the 2014 diploma works was made by the WRO Foundation team, our task as a jury was to choose particular works from this shortlist.

We are very certain that presenting the works of graduating students, or rather the works of emerging young artists, as part of such a prestigious internationally renowned forum, provides an important inspiration for art education in Poland.

The jury had a challenging task, however, we would like to unanimously highlight two works that stand out for us:

B-612, by Natalia Balska from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow

Inversion, by Marta Mielcarek from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw

B-612 – for moving the discourse from interactivity as an exclusively anthropocentric position to one that engages with the non-human: including the combination of algorithmic and biological entities as part of a neural feedback system. We were also impressed by the highly developed formal execution and visual set-up of the work as it is presented to the gallery audience.

Inversion – for developing a striking visual language based on precise choreographic movements and sound, evoking retro analogue video processes merging into new post-digital aesthetic. The work negotiates the relationship between individuality and uniformity derived from the ancient greek choir as well as the movement choir of Rudolf Laban. Simultaneously the work puts it into context of current issues such as cloning and digital multiplication.

We hope this competition becomes a regular fixture in the Biennial programme in the future, and the support for emerging artists will encourage the development of diverse artistic practices that are experimental, at the forefront of new ideas and that engage with the current contemporary art discourse more globally.

We congratulate the winners and all the artists in the diploma competition for their participation and their outstanding works.

Jury:
Joanna M. Krysa, Aarhus Kunsthall
Alexandra Waligorski, NODE – Forum for Digital Arts
Michał Woliński, Piktogram