Installation view, Kunstverein München 1999. Photo Archiv HZ, courtesy Kiesler Foundation Vienna.
Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig has won the EUR 55,000 Austrian Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts 2010, it was announced on June 24. Established in 1997, the prize is presented biennially by the Kiesler Foundation Vienna, and was established in memory of Austrian architect Frederick Kiesler. This year’s jury, comprising architect Tony Fretton, art patron Francesca von Habsburg, curator Moritz Küng, ArchiLab founder Frédéric Migayrou and architect Nasrine Seraji, commended Zobernig’s “artistic agility in subtly undermining established ways of seeing things and uncovering unexpected aspects.” Born in Mauthen in 1958 and based in Vienna, Zobernig has been active since the 1980s and is known for his critical inquiry into the principles of Modernist aesthetics, often through interventions into the display space, as well as through works in a wide range of media including video, sculpture and painting. In addition to the prize money, Zobernig will be given an exhibition at Kiesler Foundation Vienna later this year. Previous winners of the prize include Japanese architect Toyo Ito (2006), Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson (2004), American artist Judith Barry (2000) and American architect Frank Gehry (1998).