Juror's Notes - The OutsiderThe theme ‘Outsiders’ has lead to a rich diversity of submissions. Some chose a social perspective in which the outsider was ascribed to roles as drag queen, an old man, a zebra on a car assembly line, a typewriter and an unconventionally fat body. Others chose a more personal perspective, in which the artwork, consciously or unconsciously, gave expression to the artists role as outsider. Sometimes this became clear from the added statement of the artist. We took a lot of pleasure in the use some artists made of translate machines. Language is a barrier that can push someone in an outsiders role. In one of the added statements, we read this translation: ‘I am a stranger citrus and childhood are not me.’ This is the shortest and most poetic verbal summary of the theme. In our choices we valued the way artists gave expression to the theme, as well as the beauty and eloquence of the image. Below, you’ll find the motivation behind our choices. Although all of the works speak loud and clearly for themselves, we like to share the way they touched and inspired us. Prizes First place: Boaz Miller - Sin City ![]() The collage is rich in detail: declined back walls of houses, barred windows, trash, graffiti. Instead of humans being the outsider, this role is ascribed to the garbage, dirt, commercial and political spam. The graffiti that turns up three times, is a well known religious yell: a call to return to tradition. Next to it, painted women pose as in a peep show. The poster with a white house that we see again and again is an advertisement for cottage cheese. In Israel, this became a symbol of protest against rising food prices that affect the outsiders of the economy. The walls, bars and fences symbolise the process of inclusion and exclusion that is fuelled by economic, social and religious differences amongst people. The collage is full and heaped up from one extreme to another extreme, yet moulding into a miraculously beautiful unity. Sin City shows the many faces of outsiders in our world, the tensions between them, and reality stating that these extremes shape each other and are part of one whole. Second place: Yael Avni Eshchar - Come in We're Open ![]() A drama is present that we are unable to see. An intriguing image. Third place: Edward Burns - Reliquary 1 ![]() how it must feel for this other outsider, the psychiatric patient: held together by what constricts him. Honorable Mentions Nirit Ovadia – The End ![]() Lourie Fitzgerald - Odd Bird ![]() Sandra Lee - 9 the Whole Egg ![]() Encore We awarded six different artists with three prizes and three honorable mentions. However, as a jury, we like to draw some more attention to two of the winners. Boaz Miller and Yael Avni Eshchar stood out in submitting more than one work of high standard that connected to the theme of ‘the outsider’. Yael Avni Eshchar – Me Wonderfully painted self portrait of a woman with a proud but dreamy look. Or do we see loneliness in her eyes, grimness about her mouth? This intense portrait serves as a mirror. The artist writes that her work expresses the feeling to be different. A vulnerable feeling, familiar to every human. The butterflies, despite their fluttering lightness, possess an ominous darkness, like a kiss of death. A stirring portrait of an outsider. Boaz Miller - Illegals Will be Removed ![]() The collage expresses this reality. Bars and fences symbolize inclusion and exclusion. However, rust reveals a slow dynamic: windows are smashed and remain unrepaired, old canvases hang in front of other windows, a stuffed balcony and a clothesline point to new use of old fringes. We are looking at the rear side of time. Boaz Miller - Face of the State ![]() - André Meeusen and Suzanne van Zutphen |