Kassel Art Prize 2025: Talents honored and major exhibition announced!

Kassel Art Prize 2025: Talents honored and major exhibition announced!

On June 2, 2025, the selection of the winners of the Kassel Art Prize 2025 was announced. This prestigious prize is awarded by Dr. Wolfgang Zippel Foundation, which is committed to promoting art in Kassel. The award winners in the field of intermedia art are Thea Josepha Konatsu and Elko Braas, both graduates of the Kassel School of Art.

Each winner receives prize money of 6,000 euros. The award is made by the city council of Kassel at the suggestion of the board of trustees. Mayor Sven Schoeller praised the achievements of the award winners and the importance of art for the city.

Prize winners in detail

• Thea Josepha Konatsu (geb. 1995): Ihre Arbeiten thematisieren die kulturellen Prägungen von Geschichte und Erinnerung, aktuell widmet sie sich einem Projekt zu Qingdao, China. Sie schloss 2023 ihr Studium in Visueller Kommunikation an der Kunsthochschule Kassel ab.
• Elko Braas (geb. 1992): Braas verbindet abstrakte Ideen mit physischen Systemen und erforscht derzeit die Arbeiten von Carl Friedrich Gauss. 2022 beendete er sein Studium und ist seit 2024 künstlerischer Mitarbeiter im Forschungsbereich Neue Medien an der Kunsthochschule Kassel.

In addition, the artist couple Wirkus / Pries received the Doris Krininger Prize. This prize, which is being awarded for the sixth time, supports Kassel artists aged 35 and over, regardless of the art genre.

The official award ceremony and the presentation of the prize winners' works will take place on June 25, 2025 at the Kasseler Kunstverein. The exhibition will open on June 26th and will be open daily until June 30th, 2025. Entry is free.

Funding programs from Dr. Wolfgang Zippel Foundation

The Dr. The Wolfgang Zippel Foundation not only supports the Kassel Art Prize, but also numerous other cultural projects in Kassel. In 2023, a total of 10,000 euros were awarded to various initiatives. These include digital dance projects, experimental music festivals and cross-generational theater productions. Five works of contemporary art will also be acquired for the Kassel Artothek.

A total of five works of art were purchased by artists such as Aliaa Abou Khaddour and Vreneli Harborth, with a total value of 7,500 euros. This shows the foundation's commitment to actively supporting and expanding the local art scene.

In the context of contemporary art funding, the funding program of the Kunstfonds Foundation can also be mentioned, which has awarded 765,800 euros for exhibitions, publications and artist catalogs in Germany. This program supports numerous artists and initiatives, which underlines the high demand and interest in contemporary art. In total there were 695 valid applications that were examined by an expert jury.

For the Kassel art and culture scene, the Kassel Art Prize represents an important recognition and promotion of creative work, not only for the prize winners themselves, but also for the entire city. Those interested can find further information about the award winners on the platform kasselkultur.de.