- The winner Miks Mitrevics investigates a very old question: Who we are and how we experience the world? We do this by reconstructing and remembering our experiences and activities. Miks Mitrevics shows without any humor or ironity that it is an impossible task to reconstruct the past, says Iris Müller-Westmann

- By Swedbank Art Award the bank wants to contribute to make modern art forms available to a wider audience. It is fully in line with our values to support art that is characterized by innovation. Swedbank Art Award contributes to increase the contacts between artists and audiences in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia and reflects Swedbank's own internationalization, says Tobias Wagner, Head of Group Communications at Swedbank.

The jury which chose the winner included Iris Mueller-West Mann from Modern Museum in Stockholm, Maaretta Jaukkuri, Kunstnernes Hus, Norway, Norbert Weber, a freelance curator, Germany, Jaroslaw Suchan, Muzeum sztuki, Poland, and Sirje Helme, KUMU Kunstimuuseum, Estonia. The winner will receive 10 000 Euros.

The other nominees were: Taavi Piibemann, Estonia, Kristina Inčiūraitė, Lithuania, the duo Igor Makarevich and Elena Elagina, Russia and Alexander Vaindorf, Sweden.

Swedbank Art Award was founded in Estonia in the year 2000 when Hansapank handed out Hansapank Art Award, in cooperation with the Center for Contemporary Art in Estonia. In 2003 the competition also included artists from Latvia and Lithuania. This year artists from Russia and Sweden participated for the first time.

The exhibition Swedbank Art Award 2008 at KUMU Art Museum lasts until the February 15, 2009.

Read more about the contest and the artists on http://artaward.swedbank.ee/eng/


Further information, please contact:
Claes Fagerström, Group Sponsorship, Swedbank, tfn: +46 705 60 18 60
Anna Sundblad, Press Manager, Swedbank, tfn: +46 703 21 39 95
Maarja Võrk, Acting Head of Public Relations Estonia, Swedbank, tfn: +372 888 57 02, eller +372 516 74 29