Exhibition: Kunsthalle Wien Preis

The prize, which is organised by Kunsthalle Wien, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, is awarded by a jury of experts to one graduate from each of the two art universities and seeks to promote art graduates, build a bridge between their studies and their professional artistic careers and present the work of these artists to a broad public. For this year's award, the jury assessed over 100 diploma and master's projects from the visual arts and media art. More than 50 graduates each from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the University of Applied Arts Vienna submitted their work.

Ida Kammerloch studied TransArts at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and was awarded the Kunsthalle Wien Preis for the video installation ULTRA ALL INCLUSIVE. Born in Izhevsk, Russia, Kammerloch’s recent works are founded on her grandfather’s archive of homemade videos. Recorded in the 1990s, the original footage was taken at a time when the political and social identities of Russia were in transition. Kammerloch likewise contrasts the uncanny difference between the state-constructed Russian identity and the lived realities of its citizens today, using her personal family narrative to anchor such storytelling. The Kremlin Palace Hotel located in Antalya – which replicates the architecture of the Moscow Kremlin – provides the backdrop for the artist’s diploma work. The video moves from room to room providing an unsettling exploration of a utopia designed for wellness and relaxation, while physically resembling a place of immense power, and for most, also a place of political terror.

The exhibition at Kunsthalle Wien Karlsplatz (23 January - 20 April 2025) will be accompanied by a publication with texts by Alicja Melzacka and Rijin Sahakian. Kunsthalle Wien is offering a programme of artist talks, guided tours and other events as part of the exhibition.