BE OPEN Art Names Winners of Central European Competition
The BE OPEN Art online gallery has announced the winners of its Central European Regional Art competition. Marie Bokova secured the top prize and a €500 grant, with three other artists receiving honorable mentions.
Lugano, Switzerland – BE OPEN Art, an online gallery founded by Elena Baturina's humanitarian think-tank BE OPEN, has awarded the winners of its annual Central European Regional Art competition. The competition aims to support emerging artists whose work best represents their regional, cultural, and ethnic identities.
This year's Central European stage featured artists from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Twenty artists' works were showcased monthly in the online gallery, with public votes determining the "Regional Artist of the Month." A jury of experts, including Michal Novotný, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery Prague, and Branka Bencic, Director of MoMCA in Croatia, made the final selection.
The "Artist of the Region" title and a €500 grant were awarded to Marie Bokova from the Czech Republic. Bokova, who studies Ceramics and Porcelain in Prague, explores the relationship between human histories and the natural world through figurative ceramic sculptures. Her practice combines ceramics with wood, wax, and organic materials.
Honorable mentions went to Bogdana Peric Milenkovic from Serbia, Helena Mirich from Croatia, and Lorena Iavorschi from Romania. Additionally, Elena Baturina selected painter, illustrator, and animator Ester Nemjo from Prague for a personal commendation. Through the competition, BE OPEN Art continues its mission to support emerging artists worldwide and foster artistic innovation and cross-cultural dialogue.