These are the winners of the Piket Art Prizes 2020

Due to COVID-19 measures, it was not possible to organize an award ceremony, and the organization had to look for an alternative. In compliance with the health guidelines, the winners were recently surprised one by one with the help of family members and industry professionals. Separate videos of these surprises will be released starting Friday, November 20th, via all the Piket Art Prizes social media channels.

Lorena van Bunningen

Lorena knows how to shape reality in a unique way. She has a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of aesthetics, enabling her to portray her fascination with the beauty of small everyday things. In her world of tranquil scenes, the viewer can pause and reflect on the many things around us that we typically overlook. The jury is impressed by her determined and steadfast approach, recognizes the quality of her current work, and believes in the potential of this artist.

Boston Gallacher

When the jury nominated Boston Gallacher two years ago, the nomination was based on the promise seen in their unmistakable talent. Since then, Boston has undergone a spectacular development and has fulfilled this promise in every way. Boston "just blows us away." They stand out for the completely natural way they combine dance virtuosity with a radical openness to a variety of inputs. With an extremely refined curiosity, they stretch the boundaries of every dance idiom they use and give the concept of "being different" a face.

Due to Boston's non-binary gender identity, they are referred to using the pronouns 'they/them.'

Tessa Jonge Poerink

Tessa possesses great acting talent. When she performs, she immediately immerses herself in the situation and takes you along with her. It is clear in her voice that the emotions her character feels flow organically through Tessa's imagination. Her delivery of lines is excellent – you can tell she knows exactly what she’s saying. She has shown that she can captivate an entire theater, reaching even the furthest corners. Tessa also has a wild performer within her. She dares to be unconventional. Her boldness and shamelessness are a testament to her broad spectrum, which is quite exceptional for her age. The jury is curious about the projects Tessa will undertake as a creator. This prize is also intended as encouragement for her to develop her own project.

Other nominees

The Piket Art Prizes are awarded annually to promising young professional artists in the fields of painting, dance, and theater. In addition to the winners, this year, Ciro Duclos and Afra Eisma (Painting), Lukas Karvelis and Hester Seelen (Dance), and Shah Tabibi and Billy de Walle (Theater) were also nominated. All nominees received a contribution of 2,000 euros this summer as support due to the COVID-19 measures.

The Jury

The expert jury, which assesses which young talents stand out in each discipline, consists of the following members this year: Chairwoman Winnie Sorgdrager (former minister, former chairwoman of the Council for Culture), Suzanne Swarts (Director of Museum Voorlinden), visual artist Joncquil de Vries, Stacz Wilhelm (former artistic director of production house Korzo), Isabelle Chaffaud (MEYER-CHAFFAUD), John de Weerd (Programmer of Zaal 3 and de Parade), and Antoinette Jelgersma (Actress at Het Nationale Theater).

No Piket Jury Prize

The Piket Jury Prize is awarded to a person for their cultural activities in the Hague region that benefit young artists. The winner receives an artwork and a certificate. Although the jury is not obliged to award a Jury Prize each year, it has been awarded every year so far. However, this year, the jury unanimously decided not to award the prize. The Piket Jury Prize is specifically for individuals working in the background, in the shadows, behind the scenes. A celebratory award ceremony in a theater full of enthusiastic guests provides the opportunity to bring such a person into the spotlight. One moment, they are sitting unsuspectingly in the audience, and the next, they are on stage in the full light. The winners of the Piket Art Prizes are traditionally called to the stage, but in the case of the Jury Prize, this symbolic moment carries extra weight and significance. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances this year, that special moment is missing for everyone. The jury felt that this would greatly diminish the impact of the Jury Prize. We sincerely hope that next year, someone will once again be able to stand literally in the spotlight.

About the Piket Art Prizes

The Piket Art Prizes have been awarded since 2014 to young artists who have a connection to The Hague, either because they have developed there or because their work makes a stimulating contribution to the cultural climate in The Hague. The prize is named after Frederik Hendrik Piket (1927-2011), a lawyer and member of the First Chamber for the CHU (later CDA), who was a great lover of art and culture. After his death, a foundation was established to annually encourage three artists under 30 with a prize.

Foto's: Janneke van Beek