ars viva 2027

A catalog spotlighting the work of three pioneering contemporary artists.

Since 1953, Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft, a consortium of German businesses, has awarded the annual ars viva prize for visual arts to outstanding young artists living in Germany. Over the decades, the award has turned the spotlight on over 350 artists; past winners have included Georg Baselitz, Rosemarie Trockel, Candida Höfer, Wolfgang Tillmans, Omer Fast, Cemile Sahin, and Sung Tieu. The 2027 ars viva prizes go to Hemansingh Lutchmun, Yoora Park, and Luciano Pecoits. Lutchmun makes films, sculptures, and installations that scrutinize the enduring structures of colonial history and their influence over contemporary ideas of spirituality and belonging. Park combines audio, sculpture, video, and installation art in meticulously composed spatial ensembles. Sound serves as the central medium: an invisible, physically perceptible force that shifts perceptions and raises questions concerning control, reproduction, and representation. Pecoits brings an eye schooled by source criticism to the study of historic materials, archives, and institutional narratives. His work revolves around the question of how history is recounted, stabilized, or obscured in art institutions. This publication presents the three award-winning artists' oeuvres. It also includes contributions from Diedrich Diederichsen, Kerstin Renerig, and Alexandra Symons-Sutcli!e.