Since the beginning of the project, KulturKontakt Austria has served as Henkel’s partner for the Henkel Art.Award. For the last ten years, this cultural initiative has been overseeing artistic projects in Central and Eastern Europe as well as hosting its annual Artists-in-Residence Program. This program offers a three-month scholarship in Vienna to artists specializing in the field of the fine arts as well as photographers from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The scholarship also includes a studio, room, insurance, a monthly monetary grant of 900 Euro as well as a presentation of the artist’s works at the end of the three-month stay.

Within the framework of the Artists-in-Residence Program of KulturKontakt Austria, Henkel CEE grants a Youth Artists Prize endowed with a monetary award of 1,500 Euro to artists of the visual arts and photographers from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

The members of the Youth Artists Prize 2005 jury were: 

• Max Aufischer
  Managing Director, Styrian Cultural Promotion Office and Cultural City Network, Graz, Austria
• Tomaz Vignjevic
  art historian and curator, National Gallery of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Katarzyna Uszinska
  art historian and curator in Vienna, Austria and Warsaw, Poland
• Maia Damianovic
  curator, Vienna, Austria
• Heike Eipeldauer
  “Tresor“ curator, Bank Austria Art Forum Vienna, Austria

The Youth Artists Prize 2005 was awarded to Aleksandrija Ajdukovic from Serbia and Montenegro.

Aleksandrija Ajdukovic was born in Osijek in 1975. She received her degree in photography from the Academy of Arts "BK" in Belgrade. Her photos have been exhibited in Belgrade, Rome, Vienna and Geneva.
 
The artist commented on her “Tigresses“ photography: “In the movie from Francois Truffaut named ‘Gentle Skin,’ there is a scene in which the main character is sitting with his mistress in the restaurant. Suddenly a lady who wears clothes with a wildcat pattern entered the restaurant. The mistress said to the main character: Look at that woman! In the restaurant there was already one lady with a wildcat pattern and the girl said once again: Now look at that lady! These are the women who love to love! These are pictures taken in the street during 2002, 2003, and 2004. I approach women in public spaces who are dressed in clothes with wildcat patterns.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Aleksandrija Ajdukovic and Mag. Günter Thumser, President Henkel CEE}

The jury’s selection of Aleksandrija Ajdukovic is due to her extremely concise photographic cycle. In her photographs, she deals with human relations, among other topics. Or else she allows herself to be inspired, for example by Francois Truffaut’s “Gentle Skin.” In her “Tigresses” series, she portrays women who meet each other by chance. However, they all have something in common. In this case, it is an article of clothing with a particular pattern on it, namely a tigress. The young photographer is a very accurate observer of her environment and the people around her. She effectively makes connections, records developments and draws a clear-cut picture of her country, which in no way embellishes the state of affairs, but which depicts her fellow human beings with warmth and sympathy.

Aleksandrija Ajdukovic, Serbia and Montenegro

Date of Birth:
07 December 1975

Place of Birth:
Osijek