A collaborative project between the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs and Ars Electronica, State of the ART(ist) provides financial support and visibility to at-risk creatives. Since its founding, AR co-directors Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky have been members of the awards jury.
🔹 Main Prize: ‘Café Kuba’ by David Shongo
David Shongo questions creation in crisis: How to film your own country when you have become a fugitive within it? Shongo explores the act of creation in a context of war, collective trauma, and political instability through the lens of a repurposed street coffee cart, acting as a mobile recording device in conflict-torn Kinshasa. This “fugitive cinema” collects voices and ambient memory, mapping the city through immersive sound design.
Awards of Distinction:
🔹 ‘Losing the freedom of choice’ by Issa Touma
A special mention and congratulations to AR-Alumnus, photographer and film director Issa Touma!
Issa Touma and the Art Camping community’s project, launched during Syria’s civil war, presents photos and short texts that share the stories, fears and perspectives of young women – especially those born in the 1990s – whose lives and struggles amid conflict often go unseen.
🔹 ‘Fugue’ by Anet Sandra Açıkgöz
A poetic yet tragic reflection on being an Armenian artist in Turkey, Açıkgöz’s video installation explores collective traumas, denial and evasion of responsibility – through the game of dodgeball, where the ball becomes a metaphor for guilt, denial, and the transfer of responsibility.
During the upcoming Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria, our co-directors Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen will be speakers on the main festival stage, whose annual theme is “PANIC yes/no” on Friday, September 5th. Stay tuned for more information about the event!
Congratulations to all awardees and all artists that continue to fight for artistic freedom!
