The Jindřich Chalupecký Award was received this year by Andreas Gajdošík

Olomouc – The Jindřich Chalupecký Award was awarded to twenty-seven-year-old Andreas Gajdošík, a graduate of the Intermedia Studio at the Faculty of Fine Arts of VUT Brno. The artist, who has long combined programming skills with social and political engagement in his work, is particularly known for projects published in virtual spaces. The international jury selected him for his openly activist approach. The laureate of the jubilee 30th edition succeeded among five finalists, receiving the most prestigious Czech award for visual artists under 35 today in Olomouc.

"We appreciate Gajdošík's understanding of art as a free space that allows for critical thinking and action," the judges stated in their reasoning for his selection among this year's finalists. Ultimately, the jury declared Andreas the laureate for his online project Inhuman Resources.

Andreas Gajdošík's work consists of interventions in the media sphere and social networks, creating mystification software or websites; the aim is to critically reflect on established structures in the art world and politics. "Andreas Gajdošík's project is based on a relatively straightforward principle, but its reach through the internet, social networks, public and media discussion is considerable. Much more important than what is in the gallery is the presence of the work in public and virtual space," commented the decision of the jury, the director of the Jindřich Chalupecký Society, Karina Kottová.

Gajdošík is a member of the sound-performance group European Union. In addition to the award from Maxim Velčovský, he traditionally receives a two-month scholarship stay in New York and 100,000 crowns for the realization of a new authorial project. The audience award from Czech Centers and the associated residency in one of the Czech Centers was awarded to Pavla Malinová for her series of paintings complemented by stone sculptures.

In addition to Andreas Gajdošík and Pavla Malinová, the prestigious award was competed for by French artist Baptiste Charneux, Marie Lukáčová, and the art group Comunite Fresca, comprised of Dana Balážová, Markéta Filipová, and Marie Štindlová. The finalists of the most significant Czech award for visual artists under 35 are presenting their works from the end of September until January 19 at an exhibition in the Pražák Palace in Brno.

The prestigious award for young Czech artists under 35 has been awarded since 1990 at the initiative of playwright and former president Václav Havel, poet and visual artist Jiří Kolář, and painter Theodor Pištěk. Among the holders of the award named after the prominent art historian and critic are many renowned Czech painters and sculptors of the middle and older generations - they received the award in its early years. In recent years, the international jury has most frequently leaned towards conceptual art. Last year, the award was received by twenty-five-year-old Lukáš Hofmann, who also performs under the name Saliva.

This year's ceremonial announcement of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award was part of the exhibition of contemporary visual and sound art PAF Olomouc; the award was presented for the first time outside Prague and Brno.