The winners of the Piket Art Prizes 2016 have been announced!
Jury Verdict: “Debbie Young’s work has both literal and metaphorical layers. Each layer puts the previous one into perspective or partially conceals it, just as you might find the history of all previous occupants in the different layers of wallpaper in a dilapidated house. She shows a successful combination of realistically painted elements, photographs, plaster, wonderful figurines of clay and layers of epoxy. Her use of cliché images and ironic elements creates humor. Her different ways of presenting her art – sometimes consumed by a transformed space, sometimes as individual objects on a white wall – work remarkably well and forces viewers to continuously adjust their view. The result is explosive, yet vulnerable and personal. The jury is very curious what kind of dimensions Debbie will add to her work in the future.”
Jury Verdict: “If you manage to stand out in the talent pool of the Nederlands Dans Theater 2 – arguably one of the best junior dance companies in the world – something special is going on. Alice has a magnetic stage appearance. She is a definite eye-catcher with an intriguing, intense charisma that is at once playful and enigmatic. Her talent is obvious, she has the body and a healthy dose of madness. But that does not mean that everything she touches simply turns into gold. She works very hard and continues to search for the key to her performances day after day. She manages to succeed in that: she always knows how to add something extra to the choreography with her interpretation. Alice has the potential to become a great artist.”
Jury Verdict: Kaatje Kooij is authentic, serious but also modest, poetic and sensitive. She is also quirky and sometimes willful. In her search for the experiment, she strays from the beaten track, in which she incorporates a hint of loneliness. For example, she worked on themes that proved to be very delicate to her, which shows her strength. This past year she has grown into a mature actress. Kaatje is always subservient to the content of the play. That’s a great quality. She is good at her command of language and text processing. She can switch quickly and does not force herself at the right moments. Kaatje searches for challenges wherever she can. In doing so, she manages to remain honest and close to herself. She has a great passion for the profession and a lot of potential to grow.
