The Culture and Arts Programme at the A. M. Qattan Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the Young Artist of the Year (YAYA) 2012 – The Hassan Hourani Award Exhibition in Ramallah and Gaza as part of its participation in Qalandiya International. The exhibition showcases the works of the ten artists who reached the final stage of the competition.
The opening of the exhibition of YAYA will take place this Saturday 3 November 2012 with a tour that starts at 4:00 pm at Al-Mahatta Gallery in Ramallah, and another at 6:00 pm at YMCA in Gaza. The opening tour continues to the Franco-German Cultural Centre, Khalil Al Sakakini Cultural Centre and Idioms Film, ending at the A. M. Qattan Foundation where the award winners will be announced at 7:00 pm. The exhibition runs from 3 -15 November, and is open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm except Fridays.
The work of the shortlisted artists will be evaluated by an international jury, a panel of distinguished Palestinian and internationally renowned artists, curators, commentators and professionals in the fields of culture and the visual arts who were invited to spend a week in Palestine to meet the artists, view the exhibition and make a choice for the first, second and third prize winners.
The A.M. Qattan Foundation is one seven cultural institutions, focusing on contemporary art in Palestine,participating in Qalandiya International. Qalandiya International is an attempt to engage the local public in programmes that are not straitjacketed by realpolitik, and to allow them to look at art in a more imaginative and open manner. It is an attempt to join forces and resources and form links across a fragmented geography; a take on unity.
The Young Artist of the Year Award is named after the late Palestinian artist, Hassan Hourani, who passed away in a tragic accident in August 2003. The award was first organised in 2000 and has been repeated on a biennial basis as part of the A. M. Qattan Foundation’s Culture and Arts Programme. The award is open to Palestinian artists, regardless of their place of residence, between the ages of 22 and 30 who work in any area of the visual arts. It supports and promotes young Palestinian artists and opens up new spaces and opportunities for these young artists at the beginning of their careers. It has become the leading national competition for young visual arts practitioners in historical Palestine and its diaspora.
The award has played a significant role over its first decade in enabling new visual art practices and in opening up new spaces and opportunities for young Palestinian artists at the beginning of their careers. It has empowered young artists and provided them with a space in which to embark on increasingly ambitious projects and explore new ideas. It has also created better opportunities for dialogue and exchange both with each other and with their international colleagues, thus opening up hitherto unavailable avenues of professional development.
A comprehensive bilingual catalogue is published for each award. The Foundation continues in its engagement with the Young Artist of the Year finalists by generating opportunities for international residencies and offering support for them to exhibit their work both locally and abroad.
To find out more about the award, please visit the YAYA 2012 blog:
http://youngartist2012.blogspot.com/2012/07/blog-post.html
For more information about Qalandiya International, please visit: