2018 Prince Claus Awards announced

The Prince Claus Fund announces the 2018 Prince Claus Awards. The Prince Claus Awards honour visionary individuals and organisations for their excellent, ground-breaking work in fields of culture and development. Among the six 2018 Laureates from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are the Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan and Kidlat Tahimik, the Philippines artist and filmmaker.

Eka Kurniawan (Pangandaran, West Java Indonesia, 1975) is a writer who explores Indonesia’s complex recent history through fiction. Kurniawan studied the great Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, but turned away from social realism and developed his own innovative style. His work has been compared with Gabriel Garcia Marquéz and Haruki Murakami. His first major novel, Beauty Is a Wound (2002), is both a hilarious satire and a family tragedy of epic scope that deals with rarely discussed topics: the physical and sexual violence of Indonesia’s Dutch colonial history, Japanese occupation and dictatorship and genocide under Suharto. His writing combines elements of local folklore traditions, oral histories, magical realism, Indonesian martial arts and horror comics to portray people’s multi-layered experiences.

Kidlat Tahimik (Baguio City, Philippines, 1942) Kidlat Tahimik (which means “silent lightning” in Tagalog), is an artist in many disciplines and a creative force in his community. Called the Godfather of the Filipino New Wave, Kidlat’s work ranges from film and photography to weaving, free-style architecture and carved installations. While working as an economic researcher for the OECD in Paris, Kidlat’s imagination was ignited by film. He tore up his MBA degree, quit his job, and poured his heart into his first film, Perfumed Nightmare (1977), a fictionalised version of his own dream trip to the West and subsequent disenchantment, which won the International Critics Award in Berlin. Kidlat is an enthusiastic advocate of indigenous culture. He organises conferences of indigenous peoples from around the world. His unconventional artworks raise awareness about environmental issues. He has designed and built two imaginative art centres using local craftsmen and found materials where local artists and craftspeople can exhibit their works. He generously gives his time mentoring young creatives and promoting independent creativity in workshops.

HRH Prince Constantijn will present the Awards during the ceremony at the Royal Palace, Amsterdam on 6 December 2018.

Further information

Image: Kidlat Tahimik