Ayala Shoshana Guy
Birgit Jürgenssen Price Winner 2024

The Birgit Jürgenssen Prize has been awarded annually since 2004 in memory of the artist Birgit Jürgenssen, who formerly taught at the Academy. The award is presented in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport and the Hubert Winter Gallery to a student of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna for work in the fields of video or (digital) media art, drawing, artistic photography, sculpture, but also painting.

A concise, cross-media visual and narrative language characterizes the work of Ayala Shoshana Guy. In her multidisciplinary work, documentation, fiction, and poetry merge with autobiographical inquiries and universal issues. In doing so, the artist lovingly and resolutely exposes herself to the social contexts of everyday life, which she phenomenologically penetrates, artistically questions, and thereby expands into new possible spaces—using her own body in the process. This brave engagement with the creative process is a testament to remarkable personal and artistic integrity. Moreover, her compelling, independent aesthetics impress, especially with collage-like animation. One should not overlook her examination of collective trauma and human existence.

The theme of Ayala Shoshana Guy's works is elevated to an abstract level, inviting viewers to think beyond the immediate representation. Her art is imbued with a fragility between linearity and non-linearity, appeals emotionally, and touches profoundly.

Jury 2024: Carola Dertnig, Peter Noever, Nina Schedlmayer, Marlies Wirth, Thomas Winkler.

Website by Ayala Shoshanan Guy:
www.ayalashoshananguy.com