Winners announced for the Martinsons Award

On 8 September, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre launched its autumn exhibition season, opened the Martinsons Award 2023 International Juried Exhibition and announced the winners in a public victory ceremony.

The Martinsons Award 2023 International Juried Exhibition is the star event of the Latvia Ceramics Biennale and a tribute Pēteris Martinsons – the distinguished Latvian ceramicist celebrated as the father of Latvian professional contemporary ceramics. The competition is open to artists from all over the world and welcomes submissions that embrace innovative techniques, demonstrate strong stylistic individualism and send a compelling creative message.

This year, the award ran with the theme “Troubled Waters” and received a record 685 applications from 71 countries. An international jury selected 64 best submissions, which yielded 59 exhibits for the sweeping final show.

The jury assessed the artworks in the National and International category to distribute a prize fund of 20.000 EUR.

Martinsons Award 2023 National Laureates:

Gold Prize: SANITA ĀBELĪTE, Behind the Mirror;

Silver Prize: DAINIS LESINS, In Search of the Lost World;

Bronze Prize: HARALD JEGODZIENSKI, Flintstone #22;

Honorary Mentions: OLGA MELEHINA, 24 Hours before Disappearance; JUTA RINDINA, Benign Sample Catalogue (Collection through the Ages).

Martinsons Award 2023 International Laureates:

Gold Prize: MILENA PIRŠTELIENĖ (Lithuania), Panic Rooms

Silver Prize: ZIWEN XU (China), Bonsai. Ritual

Silver Prize: MÁRTA RADICS (Hungary), Cave Creek

Honorary Mentions: REMY DUBIBE (France), Under…Lines; KAITING CHAN (Taiwan) Tears

The jury panel:

Valentīns Petjko (Latvia) – artist, curator for the Latvia Ceramics Biennale;

Dainis Pundurs (Latvia) – artist, educator, Martinsons Award 2021 National Winner;

Agnė Šemberaitė (Lithuania) – artist, curator, Martinsons Award 2021 International Winner;

Vasi Hirdo (Romania) – editor-in-chief at Ceramics Now;

Claudia Casali (Italy) – art historian, director of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza;

Ilona Romule (Latvia) – artist, member of the International Academy of Ceramics in Geneva (former board member);

Andreia Vale Lourenco (Portugal) – curator for the Aveiro International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics;

Gaëlle Cornut (Belgium) – artistic director at Ceramic Art Andenne.

The Latvia Ceramics Biennale dates back to 2016 and is organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in cooperation with the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre. As the only event on such a massive scale in Eastern Europe, it has brought Latvia broad international fame.

The 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale programme will continue through 28 October.

Supporters: Daugavpils City Council, State Culture Capital Foundation and Latgale Region Development Agency through its Target Programme for Latvia’s Historical Lands. The event is organised with financial support from the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the Daugavpils State City local government and does not necessarily reflect the European Union’s opinion. Project No. LVIII-060, Heritage.lv.