The LICHTER Art Award
The LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International has been celebrating independent local and international filmmaking since its beginning in 2008. Alongside annual competitions of short and feature films, the festival presents a quality program on international contemporary video art.
Curated by Saul Judd since 2010, the visual arts section started with the exhibition “stimulus kino – subliminal cinema,” focusing on the use of cinematic reference as a strategic technique in (and of) contemporary art. Among the participants of this first edition were Mike Bouchet, artist from New York now based in Frankfurt, and Keren Cytter, born in Israel, based in New York. Both Cytter and Bouchet had formerly been represented at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009.
In 2011 the LICHTER Art Award was founded, inviting artists from all over the world to participate in an international competition which is part of the LICHTER FILMFEST FRANKFURT INTERNATIONAL. The award aims to showcase exceptional artistic works in the contemporary field of video art and film. An international jury selects five finalists whose films will be shortlisted and exhibited during the LICHTER Filmfest. The winner will be honored with the LICHTER Art Award, which is endowed with 1,000 €.
In 2011 Luciana Lamothe (ARG) was recognized for her outstanding piece Caja Tarro Silla Marco; in 2012 Oliver Husain (D/CND) won the award for his installation Dear What’s Your Face; in 2013 John Skoog (S/D) won for his film Sent på Jorden; in 2014 Bertrand Flanet (F/D) won with his installation Unmanned Distances; in 2015 Jonathan van Essche (B) won with his film Second of August; in 2016 James N. Kienitz Wilkins (USA) won with his film B-Roll with Andre; in 2017 Tobi Sauer (D) won with his video work Simba in New York; in 2018 Jakob Engel (D) with his work Waiting for record was the winner; in 2019 Andrew de Freitas (CDN/BRA) won with his video work WEIGHT; in 2020 Florencia Levy (ARG) won for her 4 channel video installation Lugar fósil / Fossil place; in 2021 the art collective Frankfurter Hauptschule (D) won for its video work MOTOR; in 2022 Alice Brygo (F) won with her film Soum; in 2023 Eunhee Lee (KOR) won with her video installation Machines don't die and in 2024 Vanessa Nica Mueller (D) won with her Film Landen.
LICHTER Art Award 2011 – 2024
Anafee Fränznick, Vanessa Nica Mueller (winner), Saul Judd, Benjamin Dobó, Lea Spielmann, Mirelle Borra and Frieder Haller (F.l.t.r.)
14. LICHTER Art Award Nominees / 2024:
Frieder Haller - 24/7 ist kein Leben / 24/7 is no life, 2023
Benjamin Dobó & Anafee Fränznick - You call me my friend, you call it love, but I can‘t trust you, 2023
Lea Spielmann - Völker Körper Stoff / Sudarium, 2024
Mirelle Borra - X or Y or Z, 2023
Vanessa Nica Mueller - Landen, 2023 - Winner
This year's jury consisted of Marie Oucherif, Curator and art theorist, Iryna Yaniv, Cultural manager and curator (Cinémathèque Leipzig) and Saul Judd, curator LICHTER Art Award.
The 13th LICHTER Art Award ceremony. Eva Claus, jury members Britta Färber, Saul Judd; Eunhee Lee, the winner; John Flindt and jury member Liberty Adrien (F.l.t.r.)
13. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2023:
Muhammet Beyazdağ – Her Şey Yolunda / Everything is Fine, 2022
Eva Claus – Any Way, 2022
John Hussain Flindt – Tales, 2022 / Installation
Eunhee Lee – Machines don't die, 2022 - Winner
Lorena Zilleruelo – SOY NIÑO / I’M A BOY, 2022
Johanna Süß, Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß, the winner Alice Brygo, Stéphanie Roland and Melanie Jame Wolf (oben V.l.t.r.).Gregor Maria Schubert, Christin Müller, Saul Judd, and Gunter Deller (unter V.l.t.r.).
12. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2022:
Iris Blauensteiner & Christine Moderbacher (AT) - Die Welt ist an ihren Rändern blau / The world is blue at its edges, 2021
Alice Brygo (F) - Soum, 2021 - Winner
Catherina Cramer & Giulietta Ockenfuß (D) - Unleash the Beast, Chapter 2. Hagenbecks Zoo, 2021
Stéphanie Roland (BE) - The Empty Sphere, 2021
Melanie Jame Wolf (D) - Acts of Improbable Genius, 2022
The 11. LICHTER Art Award online ceremony. The nominees: Julia Kater and Guilherme Peres (BRA), Tara Knuutila (CDN) and Dudu Quintanilha (BRA/D). Will Fredo (PT/D) and the winner wich was the art collective Frankfurter Hauptschule (D) are not on the picture. Jury members: Carina Bukuts, Jeremy Shaw and Saul Judd.
11. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2021:
Will Fredo (P/D) - SHTV - Sexual Healers TV, 2020
Frankfurter Hauptschule (D) - MOTOR, 2020 - Winner
Julia Kater und Guilherme (BR) - Anos de noite / Jahre der Nacht, 2020
Tara Knuutila (CND)- Little Women 2, 2020
Dudu Quintanilha (BR/D)- video about, 2020
10. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2020:
Vanessa Gravenor (D/CDN) This Weapon Drags Like a Boomerang, 2019
Constantin Hartenstein (D) NARC, 2019
Florencia Levy (ARG) Lugar fósil / Fossil place, 2019 - Winner
Pol Merchan (E/D) Pirate Boys, 2018
Maria Molina Peiró (E/NL) The Sasha, 2018
Saul Judd, Endre Aalrust, the winner Andrew de Freitas, jury members Christina Lehnert and Tamara Grcic (f.l.t.r.)
9. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2019:
Endre Aalrust (NOR/D), Dear Deer, 2018
Zanny Begg (AUS) The Beehive, 2018
Andrew de Freitas (CDN/BR), WEIGHT, 2018 - winner
Natasha A. Kelly (DE) Milli's Awakening, 2018
Lisa Kori (USA), Three Minute Eggs, 2018
Jury member Sergey Harutoonian, the winner Jonathan Engel, finalists Ingel Vaikla, Gregorn Zahn and Saul Judd (f.l.t.r.).
8. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2018:
Nikita Diakur (RU/DE), Ugly, 2017
Jakob Engel (DE), Waiting for Record, 2017 - winner
Martin Kohout (CZ/DE) Slides, 2017
Ingel Vaikla (EE/BE), Roosenberg, 2017
Gerald Zahn (A) Die Galerie /The Gallery, 2017
Award Ceremony (f.l.t.r.): Saul Judd, Luzie Meyer, the winner Tobi Sauer, Fritz Laszlo Weber, jury member Olaf Stüber, Holger Jens, Stefan Ramírez Pérez.
7. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2017:
Holger Jenss (D), Last Chance Junction, 2016
Luzie Meyer (D), The Balcony, 2016
Stefan Ramírez Pérez (D), AS MUCH AS ANYONE, 2016
Tobi Sauer (D), Simba in New York, 2016 - winner
Fritz Laszlo Weber (D), making waves,,, unmastered, 2016
Jury member Fabian Schöneich, the winner James N. Kienitz Wilkins, finalists Sita Scherer & Tina Schönfelder and Saul Judd (f.l.t.r.).
6. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2016:
Zanny Begg,( AUS), 1001Nights, 2015
Fabiano Mixo (BR/G), WOMAN WITHOUT MANDOLIN, 2015
Yalitsa Riden (CAN), Shoreline, 2015
Sita Scherer and Tina Schönfelder (D), Ansichten, 2015
James N. Kienitz Wilkins (USA), B-ROLL with Andre, 2015 - winner
The opening evening of the LICHTER Art Award 2015: Finalists Mandy Krebs, Ayla Pierrot Arendt, Anna Zett, the winner Jonathan Van Essche and the team Saul Judd, Alla Poppersoni and Simon Schmidt (f.l.t.r.).
5. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2015:
Ayla Pierrot Arendt (D), GESPIELIN, 2014
Jonathan Van Essche (B), The Second of August, 2014 - winner
Mandy Krebs (D), Heritage Creek, 2014
Alina Vasilchenko (RUS), I Like Going To Pet Stores, 2014
Anna Zett (D), This Unwieldy Object, 2014
The opening evening of the LICHTER Art Award 2014: Susanne Radmann, Murray Gaylard, Saul Judd, Bertrand Flanet, the winner; Karola Gramann, Andrew de Freitas and Peter Gorschlüter at VAU. (F.l.t.r)
4. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2014:
Clémentine Coupau (F), Louve, 2013
Andrew de Freitas (NZ/ CDN), Fuckmeadows, 2013
Bertrand Flanet (F/D), Unmanned Distances, 2013 - winner
Murray Gaylard (ZA/D), Drinking Tea in Russia, 2013
Luiz Roque (BR), Ano Branco, 2013
Jury members Felix Ruhöfer and Saul Judd and the LICHTER Art Award winner John Skoog.
3. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2013:
Etienne de France (F), Tales of Sea Cow, 2012
Jennifer Gelardo (USA) and Iván Robles Mendoza (CHILE), translate : skepticism, 2013
Lena Grewenig (D), l'oeil/das Auge, 2012
Henrike Naumann (D), Triangular Stories, 2012
John Skoog (S/D), Sent på Jorden, 2011 - winner
Award ceremony with the finalist Yuki Kishino, Clemens Wilhelm, Young Joo Lee, Sabine loew and the jurors Mike Bouchet, Saul Judd, Sophie von Olfers and the parents of the winner Oliver Susain (who was not present) (f.l.t.r.).
2. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2012:
Oliver Husain (D/CA), Dear What´s Your Face, 2010 - winner
Yuki Kishino, (JAP), The distance between one and another, 2012
Young Joo Lee (KOR), EXPOSURE (The Twins), 2012
Sabine Loew, (D), Maikäfer flieg!, (D), 2006-12
Clemens Wilhelm (D), READ ME, 2011
far left: Luciana Lamothe, the winner of the 1st LICHTER Art Award. Far right Jurors Saul Judd and Matthias Ulrich.
1. LICHTER Art Award nominees / 2011:
Mario Asef (ARG/D), Börsianer/The Operators, 2009
Luciana Lamothe (ARG) Caja Tarro Silla Marco, 2011 - winner
Hanna Hildebrand (CH/D), A Party With a Purpose, 2009
Jessica Sehrt (D), RealiTies, 2010
Rebecca Ann Tess (D), A Crime must be committed, 2010