For the first time, the works of the nominees will also be presented this year within the framework of an exhibition. These works of art can be viewed at Porcia Palace in Vienna from November 5th to November 30th, 2004.

Five artists from Central and Eastern Europe were nominated in September by an international jury chaired by the renowned designer Prof. Ernst W. Beranek as the finalists to receive the Henkel Art.Award. 2004. The winner will be announced on November 4th during a festive gala ceremony.

In the course of the evening, a special exhibition entitled “Nominees Henkel Art.Award. 2004 – Experimental Design“ will be opened to the public. Selected works of the five nominees can be viewed in Vienna starting on November 5th. The Austrian Chancellor’s Office has enabled this exhibition to take place by making space available in Porcia Palace for the duration of the exhibition.

The works of art which are on display represent the category of experimental design, the motto of this year’s Art.Award. The works presented in the exhibition share an experimental and visionary character. To name just a few examples of the creativity featured here, the works of art encompass picture frames made of clothes pins and sponges; a plastic lamp in a bizarre form; a table made of puzzle pieces, in which the reversed poles ensure coherence, and a windmill, serving alternatively as an umbrella, a flying device or a personal wind generator.

Other types of art are represented in the exhibition, in addition to the field of experimental design. Henkel CEE also grants a Young Artists Prize, selecting winners from among those artists participating in the Artists in Residence Program of the organization KulturKontakt Austria. Works of both winners of the Young Artists Prize are also exhibited. In this case, classical painting and modern forms of lighting confront each other.