Applications are open for the Martinsons Award 2023 International Ceramics Competition
Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in cooperation with the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre announces an open call for the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Ceramics Competition under the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale 2023.
Latvia Ceramics Biennale is a key event in contemporary ceramics in the Baltic region. The biennale is organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in cooperation with the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre. The event attracts artists from all over the world and seeks to develop and promote contemporary ceramics in Latvia and the Baltics. The central event of the biennale is Martinsons Award – an international juried exhibition held on the premises of the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre as a testament to the current vitality of ceramic art and a tribute to Pēteris Martinsons – the world-renowned Latvian ceramicist.
Applications are due May 25, 2023. Apply here.
THEME OF THE BIENNALE: Troubled Waters
In most creation myths worldwide, water is the element that brings new life. A substance from which a divine power separates the earth, life and everything that is. Troubled waters have become a compelling metaphor for flight of thought, an apt material approximation for the intangible. We gaze into the cosmic depths and look for other planets where troubled waters may have brewed another rich organic cocktail from the heaving masses of the global ocean – just like the one that nourished prehistoric life on earth – and brought forth other life forms that – who can tell – may even now be dancing in its waves.
Troubled waters make clay supple and receptive to creator’s touch. They coax the rigid mass to yield to change and new creation. The archetypical perspective on ceramics is tied to reigning in the troubled waters – arresting their flow in a body of clay. The relationship of water and ceramics is as old as the human ability to work with the material. Our stories of ancient civilisations are rooted in archaeological finds, where most artefacts are ceramic objects – little time capsules that have captured history itself and tell of past aquatic presence through their marks.
We, humans, see ourselves as omnipotent creators, wielding all but absolute power to bend the world to our will. Yet we forget some things are still beyond our control. The storms that shake the world today are also rippling in the arts. Their impact can take many shapes and forms, from a polished blade to a shining pearl matured in hiding from the winds.
PARTICIPANTS
Individual artists and artist groups are invited to submit their artworks for the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Ceramics Competition. The applicants are not restricted by age or nationality. Each applicant (individual artist or a group) can submit up to two artworks. MARTINSONS AWARD 2021 recipients who won Gold, Silver or Bronze in both National and International categories cannot run in the 2023 competition.
The ceramic component of the artwork must be at least 80%, and it must have been created in 2021-2023. The work can’t have been displayed in other competitions. The minimum size of the artwork should be at or above 25cm in at least one dimension (height, width or depth). There are no maximum size restrictions.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
• Individual artists or artist groups are invited to apply for the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Ceramics Competition via the online application form.
• Each applicant can submit up to 2 artworks.
• Up to 3 high printing quality jpg or jpeg images (at least 300 dpi) per submitted artwork should be attached to the Application Form.
• The images should feature the artwork on a neutral background (white, black or grey).
• The images of the selected artworks may be used in the exhibition catalogue. Image quality may affect selection results.
• Do not use your name or surname in the file names of the attached photos.
• Applications must be submitted by 25 May 2023. Applications received after 25 May 2023 will not be considered.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
Selection procedure will run in 2 stages:
Stage 1 – participant selection
The jury will assess the application forms and choose the works that will run in the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 international ceramics competition and appear in the juried exhibition. Selection results will be announced after 15 June 2023. Participants must deliver the selected works to the exhibition venue by 1 August 2023. MARTINSON AWARD 2023 curators reserve the right not to exhibit damaged works, works that do not match the originally submitted photos or are found technically unexhibitable.
Stage 2 – winner selection
The National and International winners of the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 will be selected before the exhibition opening in a closed jury vote after seeing and assessing the artworks on site.
The winners will be announced at the opening ceremony of the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Juried Exhibition on 8 September 2023. The wining artworks will become the property of the organisers.
TRANSPORTATION & INSURANCE
Artwork delivery to the exhibition venue:
The participants selected in the first round have to deliver the selected work to the exhibition venue by 1 August 2023. The work may be submitted in person, directly to the exhibition venue during its opening hours, or sent via door-to-door delivery service at the expense of the sender (participant). Participants are responsible for proper packaging of their work (the organisers will use the same packaging to return the work). All insurance costs during the transportation of the artwork to the exhibition venue shall be borne by the participant.
Return of the artworks:
Participants may either collect their work from the exhibition venue in person or use door-to-door delivery service at the expense of the receiver (participant) till 15 March 2024. All insurance costs during the return of work to the participant shall be borne by the participant.
Participants may also leave their work to the organisers. In this case the work becomes the property of the organisers, and the donor may receive appropriate certification.
Works that are not collected by 15 March 2024 will become the property of the organisers, to all intents and purposes.
The artworks are not insured during the exhibition, but physical supervision is provided at the venue. The organisers are not financially responsible for any damage or loss of the artworks that may occur during transportation, unpacking or packaging.
EXHIBITION
The MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Juried Exhibition will take place at the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre form 8 September 2023 to 18 February 2024, as the central event of the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale. The exhibition setup and dismantling will be exclusively undertaken by the organisers.
Exhibition venue: Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, 3 Mihaila Street
Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia
The artworks are not insured during the exhibition, but physical supervision is provided at the venue. The organisers are not financially responsible for any damage or loss of the artworks that may occur during the setup, running period or dismantling of the exhibition.
AWARDS
The total amount of no less than EUR 20 000 will be distributed among the National and International winners. The Awards will be subject to the applicable withholding taxes.
BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS
Exhibition
Selected artworks will be exhibited at the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, Latvia’s largest and most-renowned centre for contemporary art. The exhibition venue is located in the old Dünaburg Fortress, still standing in the most historical area of Daugavpils – the native city of Pēteris Martinsons (1931–2013), Latvia’s best-known contemporary ceramicist who earned broad international acclaim. Since 2013, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre holds the world’s largest collection of Martinsons’ ceramics.
Prize
The jury will select MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 winners in two categories, National and International.
Participation in the biennale programme
Along with the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Juried Exhibition, participants will be invited to attend all the other events (exhibitions, conferences, lectures etc.) of the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale.
Catalogue
All artworks featured in the MARTINSONS AWARD 2023 International Juried Exhibition will be included in the exhibition catalogue. Each participant will receive a copy of the catalogue and a certificate of participation.
Promotion
The organisers will promote participants in art-related media, websites and social networks.
Use of Personal Information
Participants allow the organisers to reproduce the images of the artworks and any other information submitted through the application form in any kind of media.
Contact information
martinsonsaward@gmail.com
Visit Ceramics Now’s calendar of ceramic competitions to find more events similar to this one.
