UniCredit Bank Austria promotes young artists and has already assigned ten studio spaces for two years in Vienna and Linz
- Within the ”Bank Austria Studios” initiative, young artists are supported with an extensive programme, a studio, more visibility and financial expertise
- A total of 10 studios have been newly assigned - Camille Holowka, Karolin Braegger, Katharina Hölzl, Sarah Fripon will move into a studio in Vienna, while S()fia Braga will move into a newly created studio in Linz
As part of the ”Bank Austria Studios“ initiative launched last spring, the focus is on supporting promising young artists whose work makes a relevant contribution to society. Following the five studio spaces assigned in the previous year, another five young artists have now been selected by a top-class jury to participate in the ”Bank Austria Studios“ support programme and will move into their own studio for their artistic work for two years. In total, ten studios have already been assigned to outstanding artists.
”With the ‘Bank Austria Studios’, we want to support young artists in their careers in the long term – that is why we provide a package with this programme that offers not only a workspace but also access to a national and international network,” emphasises Robert Zadrazil, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria. ”Our financial training courses equip participants with the relevant know-how and are designed to support them in achieving economic success. I am proud that with the ‘Bank Austria Studios’ we are now able to accompany five more very exciting artists from different artistic disciplines on their way. A total of ten young and promising artists can already give free rein to their creativity at the ‘Bank Austria Studios’, and we are already looking forward to the numerous works of art which will be created in the course of this programme.”
The ”right ones“ for the “Bank Austria Studios”
”In addition to high artistic quality, we also took into account in our selection who could benefit in a special way from the studio space and the exchange that the programme facilitates. I think the selected artists represent a diversity of media and approaches and, as in the previous year, are a good cross-section of artistic positions and objectives for the continuation of the ‘Bank Austria Studios’ programme,” explains Lilli Hollein, General Director of the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) and jury member of the “Bank Austria Studios”.
The jury, which includes Lilli Hollein (Museum of Applied Arts), Bettina Busse (Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien), Hedwig Kainberger (Salzburger Nachrichten), Hemma Schmutz (Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz and Stadtmuseum Nordico) and the cultural manager Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, has chosen the following five new artists for the “Bank Austria Studios”:
Camille Holowka, Karolin Braegger, Katharina Hölzl, Sarah Fripon will be assigned studio spaces in Vienna, at Seestadt Aspern as well as in other locations, and S()fia Braga will move into a new studio location in Linz.
Camille Holowka was born in Geneva in 1990, lives and works between Linz and Vienna. He studied with Eva Grubinger as well as Tobias Urban and Ali Janka (Gelitin Kollektiv) and graduated in 2021. His artistic practice includes sculpture, plastic and spatially related installations.
Karolin Braegger, born in Zurich in 1993, graduated with distinction from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with Heimo Zobernig in November 2021 and received a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Zurich University of the Arts in 2017. She works between fine arts, fashion and performance.
Katharina Hölzl, born in 1987 in Rum in Tyrol, studied sculpture in Heimo Zobernig's class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. She moves in different media such as drawing, sculpture and painting with linguistic and formal structures.
Sarah Fripon, born in Zeitz, Germany in 1989, is a painter who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 2021. She takes themes from everyday life and processes them in her painting so that they become an aesthetic synthesis of our time.
S()fia Braga is a transdisciplinary artist working in Linz. She holds a degree in Visual Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and in Interface Cultures from the University of Art and Design in Linz. She works in the field of video, photography, augmented reality and develops multimedia installations.
“Bank Austria Studios”: Investment in the future of young artists
With the “Bank Austria Studios”, UniCredit Bank Austria is setting a sustainable example. The programme, designed specifically for their needs, accompanies young talents in their first steps after completing their education and prepares them for the challenges of the future. In addition to providing affordable workspace and assistance in building a comprehensive network, the programme also delivers practice-oriented support and financial training designed to make the young talents economically fit for the future.
The artist collective Contemporary Matters and the artists Bianca Phos and Julia Zastava moved into the “Bank Austria Studios” at Seestadt Aspern last year. Jojo Gronostay and Sarah Rinderer have already moved into another two studios at the Creative Cluster in Vienna’s 5th district.
Further information on the “Bank Austria Studios” and the artists can be found on BAK, Bank Austria’s culture magazine: https://www.bak-magazin.at/studios
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