Sasha Kurmaz, nominated by the Victor Marushchenko School of Photography (Kyiv, Ukraine), won the Kazimir Malevich Prize 2020.
The artist actively interacts with the public space: whether it is graffiti, installations or a series of provocative photos: all this tests traditional discourses and standards of perception, forming a complex modern polylogue.
The Kazimir Malevich Prize is awarded every second year via Polish Institute in Kyiv initiative and is “a symbol of the connection between Ukraine and Poland, particularly in the field of culture,” said Monika Grokhovska, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute deputy director and member of the jury.
The winner will receive a cash prize of 3,000 euros from the Polish Institute in Kyiv and will get to take part in an art residency at the Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw in 2021 with the assistance of the Ukrainian Institute and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Andrii Dostlev (duet with Liia Dostleva) received the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School award “For a breakthrough concept” and the opportunity to organize a personal exhibition within the school.
“We feel a certain affinity of themes and approaches with this artist’s work,” said Oleksandr Savruk, Dean of kmbs, in his award ceremony speech. “That's why we are happy to present this award and invite Andrii to us, both as a speaker and a listener.”