The KAF Young Art Prize is an international art competition for young artists working in the medium of painting. The aim of the competition is not so much to select the awardees – as this is always subjective – but to create opportunities for artists to present a full range of expression and to showcase the current trends in the visual arts.

We’ve received 1597 applications, from which the jury selected 12 individuals whose works will be showcased at the final stage: Kateryna Aliinyk, Andrej Maxim Auch, Martina Drozd Smutná, Wiktoria Kieniksman, Ant Łakomsk, Kristina Melnyk, Krzysztof Mętel, Horacy Muszyński, Filip Rybkowski, Patryk Staruch, Kuba Stępień, and Emily Stevenhagen.

However, this is not the end of the competition excitement – on Friday evening (June 14), we also learned the names of the three individuals who received equal awards of 12,000 euros each!

The awardees of the first edition of the KAF Young Art Prize are: Kateryna Aliinyk, Kristina Melnyk, and Filip Rybkowski.

In the jury’s verdict, Kateryna Aliinyk was appreciated “for the enduring declaration of love for her native land, all forms of life that coexist in the chernozem soil, and the practices of regenerative gardening, which are now, unfortunately, coexisting with the debris and destruction left by the devastating Russian invasion on the territories of eastern and southern Ukraine. Her depicted landscapes pulsate and howl, yet they hold the promise of sprouting life”.

Filip Rybkowski was awarded “for the courage in crossing the boundaries of installation and painting, addressing the issues of the authenticity of the object and its representation. Rybkowski’s works, which transcend the boundaries of disciplines, are simultaneously highly inspiring for thinking about contemporary painting in contemporary art.”

The jury appreciated Kristina Melnyk’s work for “the innovative use of traditional painting techniques to convey a universal message, with an unpretentious approach to significant themes.” Kristina Melnyk’s artistic practice does not follow any of the popular painting trends, which was particularly appreciated by the competition committee.

The jury additionally decided to reward the work of Ant Łakomsk, who received an honorable mention award – an invitation to a solo exhibition at the Krupa Art Foundation. The artist was appreciated “for a particular visual maturity used to capture fleeting threads of memory and private mythology. At the same time, the artist’s painting proficiency and poetic vision promise the development of a unique artistic practice.”

The awards were granted by a jury composed of Sylwia Krupa, Antoni Burzyński, Pola Dwurnik, Katarzyna Młyńczak-Sachs, Oleksandra Pogrebnyak, and Aleksy Wójtowicz.

KAF Young Art Prize 2024 – Final Exhibition

For the next three weeks (June 15 – July 7), the Krupa Art Foundation (Market Square 27/28, Wrocław) will showcase the works of twelve artists from five countries – both those for whom painting is the main artistic practice and those working simultaneously in other media. The final exhibition represents painting with a strong political aspect, ranging from feminist themes to human-nature relations to international politics.

The final exhibition features works by: Kateryna Aliinyk, Andrej Maxim Auch, Martina Drozd Smutná, Wiktoria Kieniksman, Ant Łakomsk, Kristina Melnyk, Krzysztof Mętel, Horacy Muszyński, Filip Rybkowski, Patryk Staruch, Kuba Stępień, and Emily Stevenhagen.