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Vienna, 28.11.2018 (KAP) 37-year-old videographer Anna Witt received the prestigious Mgr-Otto-Mauer Award on Wednesday night at the Archbishop's Palace in Vienna. Witt, originally from Wbaderburg in Bavaria and residing in Vienna, studied at the art academies of Munich and Vienna. She is also represented at the group show "The Value of Freedom" at Belvedere 21.
The president of the jury, P. Gustav Schörghofer SJ, and the vicar general of Vienna, Nikolaus Krasa, have been deeply impressed by the art of Witt, as they touch and challenge independent responses. "These are images that stay in your head," said Krasa, who said he watched Witt's videos for several hours this weekend. "In the spiritual tradition, there is a word for that: contemplation," says Krasa. "Anna Witt teaches to look, to look closely, not just on the surface." It's often "not nice". What is asked is in the context of the "respectful way of looking," which is not welcomed with joy.
The Jesuit painter Schörghofer said that Witt's art had something of "very dialogic" about it. This leads to the resonance and transformation of actors and spectators. It turns out that it's unique in that people let themselves be touched. The artist is looking for lively places – residential complexes, shopping malls, airports, train stations. She often comes out of the blue, and she is, because, apparently, tasteless and not embarrbading, "they are allowed to grant".
This art calls "the possibility of an answer". It is about the alienation of tension – the opening. Through his art, Witt creates "open spaces for a real human experience," says Schörghofer.
Anna Witt has an interest in counteracting the reality of life with social ideals. On the background of historical utopias, she expresses "what was wrong". Where society becomes fragile, where old concepts – such as paid work, solidarity, intergenerational contract and humanity – no longer work, their performance in the public space is exploited.
Since 1981 – now for the 38th time – the Otto Wall fonds of the Archdiocese of Vienna has awarded the eponymous prize of 11,000 euros. This award is considered one of the most important honors awarded to young Austrian artists. He remembers the priest of Vienna, the pastor of the artist, the founder of the gallery and the collector Mgr Otto Mauer (1907-1973).
The fund was founded by Cardinal Franz König and Prelate Karl Strobl. Its goal is to continue the dialogue between the church, art and science. The prize is awarded to "the whole of the previous work of an artist under 40 years old". The diocesan fund sees it as a special task "to maintain and maintain the dialogue between the church, art and science".
According to the jury, the decisive factor for awarding the prize to Anna Witt was "her social commitment to a high artistic level". In the current social and political situation, Witts' artistic position seems particularly worthy of support. The artist knows how to "bring socially relevant subjects with lightness and lightness, but also with precision in a high quality artistic form".
Screening on December 18th
Past winners include Erwin Bohatsch, Erwin Wurm, Gunter Damisch, Franz West, Peter Kogler, Brigitte Kowanz, Martin Walde, Lois Renner, Heimo Zobernig, Otto Zitko, Dorit Margreiter, Esther Stocker, Katrina Daschner, Kamen Stoyanov, Ralo Mayer, Luisa Kasalicky, Nilbar Güres. More recently, the prize, worth € 11,000, has been awarded to Catrin Bolt (2015), Andreas Fogarasi (2016) and Toni Schmale (2017).
About 100 representatives of the contemporary art sector have participated in the annual jury event in recent years. In 2018, the jury was composed of Fr Gustav Schörghofer SJ, Iris Andraschek (artist), Stella Rollig (director of the Belvedere Museum Vienna), Toni Schmale (winner of the 2017 Otto Mauer Prize) and Johanna Schwanberg ( Director of Dom Museum Wien). A screening of selected video works by Anna Witt, followed by an interview with an artist, will take place on Tuesday 18 December at 19.30 in the Konzilsgedächtniskirch, Kardinal-König-Platz, at 11.30 am in Vienna.
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