Taiwan textile installation artists Chung Chiung-yi and Chen Ying-ting won first and third prizes, respectively, at the ninth Valcellina Award April 12 in Maniago, Italy, the ROC Ministry of Culture said.
Chung’s piece “Face to Face but also Back to Back” was praised by the judges for “the complexity of the installation, the contemporary artistic expression and originality of references.”
This is the first time a Taiwan artist has won the top prize at the event. In addition to a prize of 1,500 euros, Chung was awarded a scholarship to the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna.
Chen’s “12 Different Collars on the Skin” was lauded by the panel for “visual richness, the fusion of tradition and modernity, and cultural belonging reactivated.” Chen took home 500 euros and a scholarship to the Koefia International Academy of Haute Couture and Art of Costume in Rome.
Both artists studied at the Graduate Institute of Applied Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts in southern Taiwan. Chen was previously selected for the Talente 2012 competition in Munich, Germany.
According to event organizers, works were evaluated according to their artistic value, linguistic and aesthetic consistency, and adherence to the theme of the competition, which this year was “Double, suggestive complexity between the imaginary and the real.”
Originally more a showcase for European textile installation artists, the Valcellina Award has seen increasing numbers of entrants from Asia in recent years. This year’s competition had 23 entrants from 14 countries, and Taiwan artist Cheng Wei-jen also earned a special mention for the work “Geology.”
The biennial Valcellina Award, first held in 1995, is limited to entrants under 35 years old, as the aim is to encourage the upcoming generation of contemporary textile artists. Taiwan artist Wu Pei-shan previously won the silver medal at the event in 2009.
Winning entries from the competition will be on show at the Palazzo D’Attimis in Maniago until May 11. (SDH)