Erarta Museum has inaugurated an annual contemporary art Prize. The total prize value of 3.2 million rubles will be divided between artists (2.5 million rubles) and viewers (700,000 rubles). For the first time in history, the Prize will be awarded through a public vote rather than by a closed board of experts.
This premise is consistent with Erarta’s core philosophy: art is being created by the artist, but it is the viewers’ perception that makes it truly powerful. That is why Erarta encourages the viewers to not only vote for the artworks of their choice, but to actively campaign for them and promote them using any creative methods imaginable.
Artworks by the Prize nominees are showcased at Erarta’s Grand Hall as part of the special exhibition organised to determine the Prize winners through a public vote. The exhibition features paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs, video and multimedia art, installations, as well as other contemporary art media. The 61 artists nominated for the Prize were selected by the museum’s team following an open call for entries. In order to vote in any of the two voting rounds, the viewers need to log in to my Erarta account.
In the course of the first round that lasted through 9 April, the viewers shortlisted the participants of the second round – the 10 winning artists whose works secured the majority of your votes over the span of two months.
The second voting round is in progress right now: its results will be announced at a special gala event to be held on 8 June. The 2.5 million rubles of prize money will be distributed among the 10 winning artists in proportion to the number of viewer votes received. Every vote matters to the artist and is guaranteed to increase the amount of the prize money he or she receives. The final prize amount will depend not on the ranking among the 10 winners, but on the exact number of viewer votes. The 700,000 rubles worth of prize money will be distributed among the viewers deemed by Erarta to be the most committed to and creative in supporting their favourite artworks.
Erarta invites everyone to take an active part in finalising the results of the exhibition.
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