A prize that is intended to encourage »Art and culture are of outstanding importance for society. They reflect social debates, they offer areas of friction for dealing with reality, they point beyond everyday events. Art and culture are expressions of human existence.« I found this description in a 2010 statement by the German Cultural Council on cultural funding. There is no better way to get to the point.
However, if you look at the actions of politics in the past 18 months, you quickly come to the conclusion that art in this country has slipped into a shadowy existence. While large aviation companies, large corporations and also civil servants and employees are coming through the challenges of the pandemic with generous support from the federal and state governments, so many freelance artists are threatened by poverty that the self-proclaimed German cultural nation should actually be ashamed.
Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, many artists were living from hand to mouth. In hardly any other industry are there so many women and men on the margins or even below the subsistence level. More than 340,000 cultural workers earn less than 17,500 euros a year as so-called mini self-employed. The true and beautiful - so the sad balance sheet - is far too often created under precarious conditions.
Yes, art and culture are basic building blocks of our civilization. Indispensable for a life in democracy and freedom. Commitment to the preservation of culture is so extremely important, especially in times of crisis. This is one of the reasons why we are sticking to our path despite adverse circumstances.
The Brandenburg Art Prize of the Märkische Oderzeitung and the Schloss Neuhardenberg Foundation as well as the associated exhibition only make a small contribution to penetrating to the essence of art and culture: the encounter of artists, the dialogue with the viewer, the joint experience of art and culture.
The interest of the artists who live or work here in our award is unbroken: This year we were even able to record a record participation. The works in the areas of painting, graphics, sculpture, installation and photography reflect the great and inspiring artistic diversity that exists in the country. Brandenburg has long been home, retreat and inspiration for a large number of artists - this must be supported.
Congratulations to all of this year's award winners! My thanks to the artists for their interest in the Brandenburg Art Prize are combined with the wish that this 18th prize will bring joy, hope, courage and confidence to everyone who deals with it and looks at the exhibited and awarded works.
Frank Mangelsdorf jury chairman
Katerina Belkina
From the series "Dream Walkers": The Hunt
2020, digital collage, fine art print on canvas, 112 x 150 cm
Photography;lives and works in Werder (Havel);Member of the Professional Association of Visual Artists Berlin (BBK Berlin) and the German Master Council
Born in 1974 in Kuibyschew/Soviet Union1989-1993 design studies at the Academy of Arts in Samara/Russia;Diploma 2000-2002 training at the photography school of Michael Musorin in Samara2013 move to Germany
Awards and scholarships (selection): 2008/2010/2011 Prix de la Photographie, Paris/France 2014/2017 Moscow International Photo Award 2015 Lucas Cranach Prize of Lutherstadt Wittenberg 2016 Hasselblad Masters Award; Fine Art Photography Awards 2019/2020 Artfacts Performance Award
Solo exhibitions (selection): 2011/2015/2018/2019 Heusden/Netherlands, Gallery Lilja Zakirova 2014 Santa Monica/USA, Duncan Miller Gallery, Empty Spaces 2015 Beijing/China, Being 3 Gallery, The Sinner 2016/2017/2019 Buggenhagen, Till Richter Museum; Oderzo/Italy, CreArte Studio 2018 Budapest/Hungary, Faur Zsófi Gallery, Genesis 2019 Dessau-Roßlau, City Hall, Light and Heavy 2020 Berlin, Gallery 222, Spaceless
Participation in exhibitions (selection): 2011 Moscow/Russia, Biennale of Contemporary Art 2014/2017/2019 Dessau, Brau.ART 2015/2017/2019/2020 Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Stiftung Christliche Kunst 2015/2016/2020 Berlin, The Ballery 2015-2019 Büdelsdorf, Kunsterk Carlshütte, NordArt 2016 Hanover, Kunsthalle Faust 2017 Paris, Russiantearoom 2017/2019 Dresden, Biennale OSTRALE 2018 Berlin, Marienburg; Heusden, Gallery Lila Zakirova 2018-2020 Mannheim, Prince House Gallery 2019 Berlin, Gallery Christine Knauber; Moscow, All-Russian Decorative Art Museum; Sarato/Russia, Radishchev Art Museum 2020 Seoul/South Korea, Korea International Photo Festival
Publications (selection): 2015 Katerina Belkina, Lilja Zakirova Heusden Gallery 2020 Katerina Belkina - My Work Is My Personal Theatre, Shift Books Berlin Collections (selection): Buggenhagen, Till Richter Museum Israel, Yedida Collection Lisse/Netherlands, Lisser Art Museum (LAM) Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Stiftung Christliche Kunst New York/USA, Allen & Ellen Goldman Collection St. Petersburg/Russia, Russian Museum
