Last year, Marieke Peeters won the Piket Art Prize in the Painting category. The jury was impressed with her immersive installations and the way in which she enters a still uncharted territory between visual art and theatre. “People react to my work in a very extreme way,” Marieke says. “I find that fascinating.”
Isla Clarke, dit jaar genomineerd in de categorie Dans, is transvrouw en nog bezig met haar transitie. De jury prees Isla vanwege haar moedige keuze om haar transitie en haar carrière samen te laten gaan en “niet opzij te stappen of zich te verontschuldigen.” Ze heeft de zomermaanden aangegrepen om weer wat verder te gaan op dit pad en doet het momenteel rustig aan om te herstellen van een operatie. Lees verder
Daniele Formica, one of this year’s nominees in the Painting category, is on the move. He is not only leaving studio complex De Besturing in redevelopment area the Binckhorst, but will, mid September, also go back to his native Italy to attend a four-month special educational programme at CASTRO Residency, an international study centre located in Rome’s Trastevere area. “But I’ll definitely come back to The Hague for the Piket award ceremony in October.”
Until 1 June theatremakers, actors, artists and dancers are forced to sit at home. As part of the official measures aimed at keeping the spread of the coronavirus under control, exhibitions are off and performances have been cancelled. What do these measures mean for Piket Art Prizes’ young artists? Part 7: Naomi van der Linden.
Until 1 June theatremakers, actors, artists and dancers are forced to sit at home. As part of the official measures aimed at keeping the spread of the coronavirus under control, exhibitions are off and performances have been cancelled. What do these measures mean for Piket Art Prizes’ young artists? Part 8: Florentijn de Boer.
On Sunday 8 September the nominees for the sixth edition of the Piket Art Prizes were presented at the The Hague Central Library – nine young, promising artists in the fields of painting, dance, and dramatic arts, all in some way related to the city of The Hague. “All of these young talents are special, above average”, says Marjolein de Jong, president of the jury. The names of the three winners will be revealed during the awards ceremony in Theater Diligentia on Monday 25 November.
The fifth presentation of the Piket Art Prizes took place on Monday 26 November. The first jubilee – something special to celebrate! Which is why the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui was decorated with balloons in Piket colours. Cees Debets, director of Het Nationale Theater, welcomed the more than 250 invited guests, wishing the nominees good luck. The whole excited company then went to the auditorium for the presentation ceremony.
Presenter Paula Udondek opened the ceremony by stressing the importance of every nominee. “You are already someone of stature in your field, because you have been noticed. Every one of you will be in the limelight tonight.’’ Louise de Blécourt, director of the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, remarked that The Hague appeals to artists. “The Hague is not only the city for dance, but also increasingly for drama and visual arts. I was struck by the fact that more and more people choose to come and study at our Royal Academy of Art. They don’t go to Amsterdam. Is this a new trend?’’
De Blécourt also noticed that many former nominees still contribute to our city’s artistic climate. “Some initiatives developed into fully-grown companies and art projects, for instance Karel van Laere’s Stichting Largo, Youri Jongenelen’s Pop-up Dance, Nik van den Berg’s band Niko, Firma Mes, and the collective Thomas, Sacha & Jos. The city of The Hague may count itself lucky with so many initiatives and prospects for the arts, and especially with young artists. Artists somehow seem able to look into the future. In this way, they make an essential contribution to an innovative, mind-expanding, dynamic cityscape.’’
Robert van Asten, alderman for culture, received the very first copy of the jubilee book about the first five years of Piket Art Prizes. He stressed the importance of the Royal Academy of Art and the Royal Conservatory. “We truly enjoy having these artists and their work here.’’
Taco Hovius, chairman of the board of the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, explained that Mr Piket was thoroughly convinced of the importance of the arts and especially of young artists, and wished to extend his support beyond his own existence. This is still the aim of the Foundation, and it is for this reason that it applied for and obtained the special fiscal status known as ANBI. “This means favourable fiscal conditions for those who would like to donate to the Foundation, so please do not hesitate. To quote Francis Bacon: ‘Money is like manure, it’s only good if you spread it around.’” And a festive occasion means a treat: the sum of 9.000 Euros will be set aside as a special jubilee contribution towards creative collaboration between (former) nominees.
Painting: Eden Latham
The jury said they had greatly enjoyed looking for this year’s nominees. In the words of Suzanne Swarts (Voorlinden Museum): “We went to galleries, studios and exhibitions, and also visited the Royal Academy’s annual graduation show to spot new talent and talk to them, because, yes, The Hague is the place to be for the arts.” Maarten Demmink (Demiak) added: “We wanted to give the prize to the person we thought would really live up to expectations.” The award went to Eden Latham, who not only thanked the jury and the Mr F.H. Piket Foundation, but also STROOM and the The Hague city council. “A breeding ground such as Trixie is very important to me. Here is where the The Hague cultural climate receives true stimulus.’’
After the ceremony Eden Latham told us the prize came totally unexpected, because of the diversity of her work. “At first, I was in shock when I heard my name. I hadn’t prepared anything so I completely forgot to thank Mr Piket for the prize. I would like to do that now.’’ Latham will, for one thing, use her cheque to get her driving licence. “I need a driving licence in the US. I want to organize a group exhibition in Kentucky. I have been there before and found it an inspiring place. Kentucky can use a bit of art.”
Dance: Kinda Gozo
The dance jury, Stacz Wilhelm (Korzo) and Isabelle Chaffaurd (Meyer-Chauffaud), told the audience that, by the time they are thirty, dancers are almost at the end of their careers. “This is why we follow dancers over a long period, from their school days into their professional careers,’’ Wilhelm explained. “That’s quite a wide range and the question always is: who stands out?” This year it was Kinda Gozo. The winner, who had come over from France for the occasion, said she’d never thought she would stand here. “Thank you very much for believing in me.”
After the ceremony, Kinda Gozo said it is great to get help and support from people who also love art. “Art is the way to survive.” She carefully stowed her bronze picket, created by artist Joep van Lieshout, into her rucksack. She wants to use her cheque for her own dance projects. “In January I want to start on the creation of a duet together with another female dancer. In addition, I would like to do more collaborative work with other dancers.”
Dramatic Arts: Jos Nargy
Jury member Antoinette Jelgersma (Het Nationale Theater) also spoke on behalf of her colleague David Geysen (Bureau Dégradé) when she pointed out that all three of the Dramatic Arts nominees are ‘makers’. “They all have a lot of potential. They have things to tell us. Giving shape to something stirring deep inside you – this dimension is very much present this year.’’ The cheque went to Jos Nargy. Nargy said the prize came at a favourable moment. “I had a difficult financial year and I’m very keen to make my own work. This prize means recognition.’’ He extended his thanks to Joep Hendrikx (De Poezieboys) and his colleagues Thomas and Sacha (Collective Thomas, Sacha & Jos). “I’ll just happily carry on making things!’’
After the presentation Jos Nargy [link] said that it was special to receive the prize in the Theater aan het Spui. “This is where I started! I am going to use the money for the solo performance Jos danst. I expect it to be ready by September of next year. The prize money gives me breathing space.”
Jury Prize: Hedda Twiehaus
This year’s Piket Jury Prize went to Hedda Twiehaus. Erik Pals (Scapino Ballet), the chairman of the jury, described her as a true coach, ‘surrogate mother’, and repetiteur for the young dancers of Netherlands Dance Theatre (NDT) 2. Twiehaus, who had been lured to the theatre on a pretext, was completely taken by surprise. “I am speechless.’’
After the ceremony she explained: “I sometimes still work with Boston Gallacher, who was one of the nominees for Dance, so I really wanted to come. But when I heard my name, I thought: ‘This must be a mistake!’ It was a total surprise, wonderful!’’
Even though a fifth anniversary could be called a ‘wooden jubilee’, Joep van Lieshout’s awards only look like painted wood. The winners received a bronze picket, whereas the nominees’ picket was made of aluminium. Van Lieshout did not have to look far for inspiration. “Well yes, it was the name ‘Piket’, of course,” he explained. “I immediately thought of a picket [‘piketpaaltje’ in Dutch].’’ He spoke of the symbolic meaning of his creation. “It’s about moving on; you insert your post into the ground and stake out a piece of land. The picket marks an essential moment in your career.’’ He doesn’t mind giving young artists a bit of advice. “People often told me: ‘You shouldn’t do that,’ which was usually enough to make me do it anyway. And when people said: ‘That’s really something you should do,’ I didn’t do it. Think for yourself, follow your own path, even if it means going against the current.”
Read the interview with Joep van Lieshout about the 2018 Piket awards here
Former nominees Rutkay Özpinar and Beaudil Elzenga contributed to this special jubilee edition of the annual presentation. Özpinar was a 2014 Dance nominee; he performed is latest choreography No One Home. Beaudil Elzenga, nominated in the Dramatic Arts category in 2016, recited the poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.
Beaudil Elzenga, former Piket Art Prizes nominee (Dramatic Arts), plays the leading role in the short film Flashback, which was premiered at the Northern Film Festival in Leeuwarden on 8 November. The Piket Art Prizes awards ceremony will take place on Monday 26 November at the Theater aan het Spui in The Hague. On that occasion Beaudil will perform Edgar Allen Poe’s poem Little Raven as a monologue. “A beautiful, dark poem about lost love.”
We proudly present the nominees for the fifth edition of the Piket Art Prizes! These are the nine, young and upcoming artists nominated for the Piket Art Prizes this year:
Painting
Brigitte Louter
Dramatic Arts
Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
From the left to the right: Teun Wolters, Kinda Gozo, Eden Latham, Elias Boersma, Boston Gallacher, Brigitte Louter. Credits: Janneke van Beek
Presentation of the 2018 nominees in the Theater aan het Spui
On Saturday 1 September presenter Paula Udondek and the new chairman of the jury Erik Pals (director of the Scapino Ballet, Rotterdam) presented this year’s nominees in the foyer of the Theater aan het Spui during the The Hague UIT Festival, the annual kick-off of the cultural season. Pals stressed the importance of the prizes, because they are a means to thrust young artists who strengthen the cultural climate into the limelight.
Eden Latham (visual arts), one of the nominees who was present at the occasion, said she was very happy: “At first I thought someone was kidding me. This nomination is extremely motivating.” Teun Wolters, nominated in the dramatic arts category, was equally delighted: “I know I’m allright, but it’s great to see others think so, too.” Elias Boersma (dance) had not at all expected this: “I am very surprised and feel tremendously honoured.” After the nominees had been announced, former nominee Alice Godfrey (NDT1) presented an enthralling preview of the performance Ohgirl!, which she created with dancer and choreographer Antonin Rioche. Ohgirl! is Godfrey’s first choreographic work.
2018 is a special year for the Piket Art Prizes, not only because it marks our fifth edition, but also because so many of our nominees are from abroad. Eden Latham (visual arts) is from London, dance nominees Boston Gallacher and Kinda Gozo are from Scotland and France respectively, and dramatic arts nominee Benjamin Meirhaeghe is from Belgium. Brigitte Louter (visual arts), seizing the chance to show her work, lived in Reykjavik for some time. It is clear that The Hague is a city with international appeal.
On Monday 26 November this year’s winners will be announced during a festive award event in the Theater aan het Spui. Winners will receive a sculpture made by Joep van Lieshout and 8,000 euros.
Since 2014, the Piket Art Prizes have been annually presented to artists under the age of 30 in the fields of dance, drama and visual arts. Every year, a jury consisting of professionals from these fields draws up a shortlist of nominees on the basis of a careful inventory of artistic talent from the The Hague area. The members of this year’s jury are: Erik Pals (Scapino Ballet Rotterdam), Maarten Demmink (Demiak), Suzanne Swarts (Museum Voorlinden), Stacz Wilhelm (Korzo theater), Isabelle Chaffaud (MEYER-CHAFFAUD), David Geysen (Bureau Dégradé) and Antoinette Jelgersma (Het Nationale Theater).
Our Piket Art Prizes painting winner Debbie Young ended 2016 with a bang. Not only did she create new work, it was created specifically for her very first solo show at The Hague art gallery Vonkel. And she’s not stopping there. Lees verder
