Minne Kersten was chosen as the public favorite of the Volkskrant Visual Art Prize 2022 on Sunday, 8th January. Visitors to the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam voted overwhelmingly for the installation and video by the thirty-year-old artist. Kersten is one of four candidates nominated for the talent prize for artists under thrirty-six.
Four nominees
Other nominees for the award were Bruin Parry, Agnes Waruguru and Salim Bayri. The latter had already been chosen as the winner of the jury prize of the Volkskrant Visual Art Prize on November 22, 2022. The work of the artists can be seen in the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam until 15 January 2023.
’Space in heart and head’
In Kersten’s winning work, Constant Companion (2021), you can see on film how a raven on his own wreaks havoc in an installation created by the artist, the remains of which are exhibited in the room further on. ‘Abrasive instead of pleasing’, one visitor wrote about the work. ‘Poetic’, ‘It touches me’ and ‘It gives space to my heart and head’ were other reactions from the museum public. Since the opening of the exhibition on September 30, 2022, almost 2000 visitors have cast their vote for the public prize, which is associated with an amount of 2500 euros.
Public day
The presentation of the public award on Sunday, 8th January 2023 was part of a special Volkskrant Visual Arts Prize Day at the museum. Public winner Kersten, who currently lives and works in Marseille, was interviewed via a live video link by Volkskrant art journalist Anna van Leeuwen. Artist Jan Rothuizen and Cobra expert Willemijn Stokvis also gave a lecture and visitors could take guided tours through the various exhibitions that are now on display in the museum.
Partners
The Volkskrant Visual Art Prize is a collaboration between the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, de Volkskrant, Rabobank and Stichting Stokroos. Rabobank has made the prize money available for the past three years. The bank will stop sponsoring after this edition. The partners are very grateful to Rabobank for the financial support. The De Groot Fonds from Schiedam will sponsor the prize and exhibition for the next three years. 8th January 2023
