University
of Applied Arts Vienna: Lawrence Weiner receives Oskar-Kokoschka-Award 2022
23.11.2021
“The Oskar-Kokoschka-Award 2022 goes to the New York based artist Lawrence
Weiner. On behalf of the jury I would like to cordially congratulate him”, announced jury chairman Gerald Bast, rector of
the University of Applied Arts Vienna. “Lawrence Weiner, an outstanding conceptual artist active since the 1960s, is being
honoured. With his unmistakable formal language, which oscillates between the poetic and the political, he has also dealt
with public space in a powerful way. In particular through his impressive work Smashed to pieces (In the Still of the
Night), which he conceived for the former Flakturm in the 6th district of Vienna and adapted for the façade of the University
of Applied Arts Vienna, but also through his cooperation with the artist group Die Damen, he is closely connected
to the city of Vienna. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions in Vienna”, Bast quotes from the jury’s statement.
The Oskar-Kokoschka-Award is one of the most important prizes for fine art in Austria. A ten-member jury
headed by the rector of the University of Applied Rats Vienna biennially awards the prize, endowed with Euro 20.000,- by the
(former called) Federal Ministry for Science and Research in 1980. The Oskar-Kokoschka-Award is granted for outstanding contributions
in the field of fine arts. The award ceremony is held on the birthday of Oskar Kokoschka. It will take place on the 1st of
March 2022 at the main hall in the university building. The artist hopes to be able to travel to Vienna to receive the award
in person. The details concerning the ceremony will be announced in time.
The first Oskar-Kokoschka-Award
was given to Hans Hartung in 1981. Since then Mario Merz, Gerhard Richter, Siegfried Anzinger, The Artists from Gugging, Agnes
Martin, Jannis Kounellis, John Baldessari, Maria Lassnig, Valie Export, Ilya Kabakov, Peter Weibel, Andrea Fraser, Martha
Jungwirth, and finally 2020 Monica Bonvicini, have been anwarded.
