2012 BLOOOM Award
Worldwide - The three winners of the 2012 BLOOOM Award were announced on October 31, 2012, at the award ceremony in the Staatenhaus in Cologne, Germany.
More than 800 artists from 29 nations and six continents participated in the 2012 BLOOOM Award, a competition to promote young artists and to help them gain a foothold in the international art market. The international jury, composed of the gallerist and art collector, Selim Varol, the BLOOOM Award by Warsteiner patron and managing partner of the Warsteiner Group, Catharina Cramer, the gallerist and journalist, Yasha Young, the art director of the ART.FAIR and BLOOOM, Walter Gehlen and the singer/painter MiMi Westernhagen, was presented with a variety of exciting works of exceptionally high quality spanning all genres.
After careful deliberation, the jury selected the following three works as the winners of the 2012 BLOOOM Award.
First Place: Johanna Flammer (Germany)
The top spot of the 2012 BLOOOM Award went to the young German artist, Johanna Flammer and her piece, “STOLO on white 4”, a combination of painting, collage and drawing on canvas. The jury praised the impressive technique and the use of different materials in a balanced composition. The artist, who studied at the Ruhrakademie Schwerte as well as at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, has been the assistant of Imi Knoebel since 2011, a popular German painter and sculptor of the Minimal Art movement.
Second Place: Alex Prooper (The Netherlands)
Alex Prooper took second place with his creation, “Marbling”, an interactive installation of a virtual marble track. Positioned at a slight angle, the display shows marbles rolling down, leaving colorful trails while generating piano sounds. The color patterns mirror the marbling technique. This stunning combination of visuals, sound and interactivity caught the attention of the jury for its interactive component that allows the spectator to become an artist. For AlexP, who also develops software, the computer is a unique medium with enormous processing power whereby the entire system becomes the work of art.
Third Place: Mariola Laschet (Germany)
The third place prize at the 2012 BLOOOM Award went to Mariola Laschet who used multi-colored ballpoint pens to draw lines on 278 individual sheets of paper creating forms and figures that are bizarre and wild, natural and artificial in their expression. The jury was impressed with the excellent technique and the decorative qualities of her work. The Polish-born artist previously worked as a set designer at the theatre in Bochum and since 2005 as a college lecturer for painting and drawing.
The works of these three winners together with the creations of the other seven finalists were on display from November 1-4, 2012 at a special exhibit as part of the BLOOOM – the converging art show. in the Staatenhaus in Cologne. Unfortunately, the American finalist Miya Ando could not attend the exhibition since her flight was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. Besides the prestige and recognition that comes with the BLOOOM Award, the first place winner Johanna Flammer will enjoy one year of mentoring and a trip to Florida to the Art Basel Miami Beach together with a member of the jury.
Alex Prooper, the second place artist will travel with a companion to the Art Paris where he has the opportunity to exhibit his work in a well-known gallery. The third place artist Mariola Laschet can look forward to a one-time coaching session by a member of the jury.
To learn more about the finalists and their impressive works, seewww.blooomaward.com.
