Preziosa Young Design Competition 2019

The aim is to contribute to the circulation of what is new in research jewellery, as well as showcase what the new generations of goldsmiths/designers/artists are “brewing”.
Thanks to the seriousness of intent, to the visibility and promotion deals to selected artists, and to the high profile of the jury, PYOUNG has become a prestigious worldwide event. Every year we select a small number of artists by assessing the material that the candidates submit to us: a concise presentation of their research and images of their work. The jury doesn’t know the participants’ names, countries of origin or the schools they have attended, and have to choose the winners on the basis of the originality of their research, the formal quality of the jewellery, and the coherence between concept and objects.

The competition is organized by LAO, Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School in Florence, in cooperation with PREZIOSA cultural association, and with:

- Florence city Administration.
- Inhorgenta fair, Munich (Germany).
- The Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg (Russia).
- Ganjam and Son, Bangalore, India.
- OMA, Florence.
- KLIMT02, Barcelona, Spain.

PREZIOSA is a cultural project, the first annual exhibition dedicated to Contemporary Jewellery in Italy. Every year the artistic approach to the complex subject of jewellery is explored through a specific concept and with the selection of artists from the international scene. The project, imagined, managed and coordinated by LAO started in 2005, and has quickly become the most important Italian event devoted to contemporary jewellery.
PREZIOSA can be considered as an explorative path always in motion


Preziosa Young Competition is open to worldwide artists, goldsmiths, silversmiths, designers, professionals, students to present projects that illustrate the work in which they are currently involved. The creative process, the reasons, the objectives of the candidates should be explained through the objects and the statement submitted to the jury.
The objects presented for the competition must be not than two years older.

Prizes and Recognition:
The participants in the competition do not pay an entry fee and the winners do not receive any financial prize. LAO produces a catalogue and the works are exhibited at the PREZIOSA event, during which many other artists are present. In this way the young artists have the opportunity to present their research in an international-level artistic environment.
Thanks to a collaboration agreement between LAO and the Inhorgenta fair, one of the selected artists is awarded free exhibition space there during the following edition of the fair.
LAO offers one of the winners a three-month stay in Florence as “artist in residence”.


Awards:
- PREZIOSA prize.
- LAO special prize.
- INHORGENTA prize.

Jury:
Maria Cristina Bergesio, art critic, curator, teacher.
Tasso Mattar, artist and curator.
Maria Rosa Franzin, artist and teacher.
Robert Mazlo, artist and gallerist (La Joaillerie par Mazlo), Paris.
Irene Belfi, gallerist (Irene Belfi Gallery), Milan.

Schedule of the Exhibition:
A selection of objects of the three selected is presented in the PREZIOSA space at the Inhorgenta fair (Munich, Germany), from 22nd to 25th February 2019.
By the end of June 2019, the full PY 2019 exhibition will be held in Florence, and the complete catalogue will be published.
In the following months the exhibition will be hosted in other galleries, including the already confirmed:

- Mid-July 2019, La Joaillerie by Mazlo Gallery, Paris
- October 2019, Padua, San Rocco Oratory
- December 2019: Belfi Gallery, Milan.

The three candidates will also participate in the selection for the LAO Special Prize (three months as Artist in Residence in Florence) and the Special Award Inhorgenta (a free exhibition space for the 2020 edition of the fair).