The Open Call for the Social Art Award 2019 under the topic “We are the People – Peaceful Revolutions” was closed on December 15, 2019. We are very impressed by 558 submissions that were contributed by artists coming from 65 countries across all continents.
The winners of The Social Art Award 2019 are Narcissa Gold (USA), Melinda Mouzannar (Lebanon) and Bogna Grazyna Jaroslawski (Poland/Germany). The Honorary Mention goes to Kingson Kin Sing Chan (Hong Kong/UK).
Below you find the artworks, that passed the initial jury round. The public voting took place till 30 December and is a tool to give more public visibility to the topic and the artworks. It does not replace the final jury judgment. There were two wildcards for the most voted artworks that entered the final shortlist.
The focus diversity of applications shows that artists are active in the multi-faceted fields of socially engaged art reflecting on wars, genocides, femicides, traumata, violence against refugees, children, women, men, disabled people, LGBTIQs, animals. They share feelings for the planet and its living species, but also showing hopelessness due to complex crises be it climate change (e.g. in regard to water pollution), capitalism, corruption, a violation against human rights, nature, protected national parks. Many of the artists are constantly trying to give a voice to the poorest or empower unheard social groups.
It’s not only about peaceful revolutions, but it’s also about feeling a deep connection and showing love and respect for each other.
Thank you all for sharing your great and inspirational work and look at all the great contributions!
The Ominous Lab
Haeji Min
open category
This painting describes the evolving technology from different fields, Nuclear power-plant, and human cloning in modern society. However, the fear of technological advancements grew on me when they affect my daily life. The nuclear power plant explosion in Fukushima, Japan (2012) occurred due to the lack of basic safety requirements, and the tsunami following the earthquake in 2011. This natural disaster and the malfunction of the technology gave a surge of anxiety to me because there could be radioactive fish or any debris where I live. (The Nuclear power-plant explosion portrayed on the left bottom corner.) Alongside Nuclear experimentations, the research of human cloning is in progress. Even the bountiful supply of cloned animals seems far in the distant future; there was a successful example of cloned sheep, Dolly(1996). In the painting, the man and the dog clone reproduced by the DNA from the scientists in the laboratory. According to these scientific events, this painting contains my anxiety about the uncertain side effects of technological development. Therefore, the dominant red indicates blood extracted for cloning and blue for the ocean that spreads the radioactive creatures worldwide.
This painting describes the evolving technology from different fields, Nuclear power-plant, and human cloning in modern society. However, the fear of technological advancements grew on me when they affect my daily life. The nuclear power plant explosion in Fukushima, Japan (2012) occurred due to the lack of basic safety requirements, and the tsunami following the earthquake in 2011. This natural disaster and the malfunction of the technology gave a surge of anxiety to me because there could be radioactive fish or any debris where I live. (The Nuclear power-plant explosion portrayed on the left bottom corner.) Alongside Nuclear experimentations, the research of human cloning is in progress. Even the bountiful supply of cloned animals seems far in the distant future; there was a successful example of cloned sheep, Dolly(1996). In the painting, the man and the dog clone reproduced by the DNA from the scientists in the laboratory. According to these scientific events, this painting contains my anxiety about the uncertain side effects of technological development. Therefore, the dominant red indicates blood extracted for cloning and blue for the ocean that spreads the radioactive creatures worldwide.