The winner of the main prize was, as always, selected by a jury made up of authors of the same category. This year, they were Judith Albert, Claudia Müller, and Peter Radelfinger.
The reasoning of the independent jury:
«Hinrich Sachs is an artist; he lives and works in Basel. For many years, his work has visualized and addressed the significance of languages and their translations, and in particular the function of language in school and other public media. Writing and speaking, typography and narration concern Hinrich Sachs as aesthetic and cultural forms that are perceived locally and globally (for example through the characters of the TV program Sesame Street, or emojis in changing contexts). Hinrich Sachs has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad; from 2006 to 2016 he was a professor at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. The jury considers his selection as the ProLitteris prizewinner appropriate, since topics such as right of use and authorship are reflected in particular in his proactive, editorial practice. The intention is to honor a Swiss artist who has made “Artists’ Publishing” accessible as an art discipline of significance and impact (alongside the classical disciplines of painting, installation, video, etc.)
and at the same time has developed it further in a complex way.»
As the recipient of the main prize, Hinrich Sachs selected the winner of the sponsorship prize, Axelle Stiefel, «… because in recent years she has succeeded, in vital, precise, and at the same time enigmatic installations, in activating the culturally and historically old motif of the eternally weaving female figure as an apt voice of the present. From textile pieces, video and audio fragments, Stiefel creates sophisticated narratives of narrating, in the process also inventing an alternative role as a female artist for herself, and opening up for us, under the conditions of general norms, unexpected scope for subjectivity.»
The cultural fund of ProLitteris congratulates the prizewinners. We have to forgo a celebration for the award ceremony this year. The ProLitteris Prize is usually awarded following the annual general meeting at the end of June.