Amberif Design Award 2015 Winners

The veredict of the jury of the Amberif Design Award 2015:

The Jury: 
_Ms. Roberta Bernabei (UK)
_Ms. Jacqueline Ryan (Italy)
_Ms. Natalia Hatalska (Poland)
_Mr. Tanel Veenre (Estonia)
_Mr. Marcin Zaremski (Poland)

Ms. Roberta Bernabei was elected Chairwoman of the Jury.

At the session of February 14, 2015 in Gdańsk, the Jury assessed 135 works submitted by 112 artists from 18 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, UK, Ukraine in the Competition with the topic Mimesis.

The Jury awarded the following prizes:

The Grand Prize
sponsored by Mr Paweł Adamowicz, the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk PLN 10,000:
Marta Rżanek, Łódź, Poland
The best example of meeting the competition’s three criteria: original interpretation of the topic, functional and stylistic assets of design and innovative use of amber. The piece presents  an unconventional way to set amber in leather. The Jury appreciated the piece’s coherence and its raw quality in keeping with the “neo nomadic” social trend.

The Amber Prize
sponsored by the International Amber Association 1 kg of amber :
Adriana Lisowska, Gdynia, Poland
The piece highlights a new understanding of mimesis in relation to the human body. The drop shape refers to amber’s origin, while the unconventional place where the piece is worn refers to contemporary body enhancement. A good example of elegant, minimalistic and erotic design.

The Silver Prize
sponsored by the KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. 1 kg of silver:
Andrzej Cofta, Gdańsk, Poland
The piece is a multifaceted representation of the theme of mimesis; making use of reflection, illusion and camouflage it offers an ongoing transformation of its environment. The raw surface of the amber creates a strong contrast with the sharp cold reflective quality of the mirror.


The Jury decided to award three honorary mentions to the entries which best evoke what the topic of Mimesis brings to mind:
Marta Rżanek, Łódź, Poland
For high stylistic and functional quality and its unconventional texture.

Michał M.B. Fatyga, Jantar, Poland
For bringing back  the natural context of amber into jewellery.

Ewa Śliwińska, Poznań, Poland
For challenging the audience to reconsider today’s clichés of beauty.

The Jury selected 17 further works by the following artists for publication in the AMBERIF 2015 Fair Catalogue and for display at the exhibition:
Susanne Elstner, Gräfelfing, Germany
Philip Sajet, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Marta Kwapich i Paweł Artyfikiewicz, Warszawa, Poland
Miron Kutarba, Puck, Poland
Monika Woszczak, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Fie Bodenhoff, Copenhagen, Denmark
Toni Kancilja, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Agnieszka Działo-Jabłońska, Dariusz Jabłoński, Inowrocław, Poland
Sophie Beer, Florence, Italy
Karin Trϋtzschler, Vienna, Austria
Wojciech Kalandyk, Gdańsk, Poland
Isolde Baumhackl-Oswald, Köttmannsdorf, Austria
Elisabeth Habig, Vienna, Austria
Michał M.B. Fatyga, Jantar, Poland
Marco Belloli, Florence, Italy
Natalia Mularczyk, Pyzdry, Poland
Przemysław Kalbarczyk, Ożarów Mazowiecki, Poland