The exhibition venues M100 in Odense, Sol Nexø, Bornholm and SIMIAN in Ørestad in Copenhagen are this year's winners of BKF prize Artist-run Exhibition Places of the Year.
BKF's chairman hands out the association's awards to artist-run exhibition venues at the Juxtapose Art Fair. Photo: Click Film/BKF
The winning venues were revealed on 20 August at the new international fair for the self-organized art scene, Juxtapose Art Fair.
Read jury chairman Nis Rømer's motivational speeches for the three winning places at the bottom of this page.
Video: Meet this year's winners and experience the happy atmosphere at the award ceremony at Juxtapose Art Fair...
Over the summer, the nominations for the BKF award Artist-run Exhibitions of the Year 2021 poured in from excited audiences, partners and colleagues.
A total of 31 artist-run exhibition venues throughout the country remained nominated for the BKF award, which consists of three awards of NOK 25.000 each
After this, a jury, which this year consisted of visual artist Sofie Thorsen, art adviser and curator Mette Woller and BKF's chairman Nis Rømer, chose three winners from among all the nominees.
"It has been a really difficult task, because the quality level is incredibly high out there," says Nis Rømer.
BKF awarded the association's annual awards to artist-run exhibition venues at Juxtapose Art Fair, Godsbanen in Aarhus. Photo: Click Film/BKF.
"The artists' own exhibition spaces play an important role in the professional development of the entire artistic life, and here in the corona era, the artist-run places have really shown their worth. Many have quickly and elegantly developed new corona-adapted formats for displaying and communicating the latest contemporary art. Everyone has stubbornly held on to the desire and enthusiasm to get the art out to the public, even in a time of crisis, which is financially difficult for many visual artists," he says.
In addition to the recognition and the money, the winning places receive the winning statuette Artist-run Space, created by sculptor Anders Bonnesen.
Photo at the top of this page of the winners of the BKF Artist Driven Exhibitions of the Year 2021 award, together with BKF's chairman Nis Rømer (far left): Mikkel Larris, Tine Oksbjerg and Theis Valø Madsen from M100, Christian Vindelev, Toke Flyvholm and Markus von Platen from Simian, Sofie Amalie Andersen from Sol, Nexø. Photo: Click Film/BKF.
Read jury chairman Nis Rømer's motivational speeches for the three winning places:
SIMIAN: Cool and dedicated space for contemporary art…
Markus von Platen, Christian Vindelev, Toke Flyvholm, from the exhibition site Simian. Photo: Click Film/BKF.
SOL: Art that builds and maintains relationships...
Visual artist Sofie Amalie Andersen, founder of the exhibition venue Sol, Nexø. Photo: Click Film/BKF.
M100: Room for both dreams and criticism...
Visual artists Tine Oksbjerg and Mikkel Larris and art historian Theis Vallø Madsen. The exhibition site M100. Photo: Click Film/BKF.