Prohibitions in the Space of Art  EIKON Photography Competition. EIKON announces a Europe-wide competition for photography on the subject of prohibitions in the space of art.

This competition is directed at all those who think the discussion of conventions is important when it comes to dealing with art or our behavior within spaces dedicated to art.

The Topic

Art is “fragile;” “do not touch;” “do not cross the line” surrounding an artwork. But the space for the beholders behind the line is also subject to certain rules of behavior. That our approach to art is ruled by conventions becomes clearly visible when we consider the capacity for critique attributed to art and the refusal of regulation.

If the art space is public, debate is broadened, and comes to focus on attitudes about the freedom to act in cultural space. This competition understands itself as an international contribution to the debate, as a platform for the exchange on restrictive relations in the supposedly free space of art.

Jury

An expert jury will choose both the three prizewinners and the best works, which will then be shown in a three-week exhibition at Leopold Museum in Vienna.

The jury consists of experts from the realms of art and culture. The heterogeneity of the jury will guarantee that the discussion of the works will consider many different aspects. The members are:

Ulrich Haas-Pursiainen (Curator, Photography Triennial, Tampere)
Karola Kraus (Director, MUMOK, Vienna)
Václav Macek (Curator, European Month of Photography, Bratislava)
Eva Schlegel (Artist, Austria Commissioner, Venice Biennale 2011)
Artur Walther (The Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm)