ZKB Prizes to German-Indian production and Korean performing artist

The ZKB Prizes - the Zürcher Kantonalbank Patronage Prize and the Zücher Kantonalbank Acknowledgment Prize - have been announced in Zürich, rewarding Flinntheater's German-Indian production and Geumhyung Jeong's solo performance.

The ZKB Patronage Prize of 30 000 Swiss Francs went to Flinntheater and its German-Indian Production «Shilpa – The Indian Singer App»: The young director Sophia Stepf impressed the jury with her «layered and complex performance, with an intelligent and economical use of the theatrical apparatus».

The ZKB Acknowledgement Prize of 5000 Swiss Francs was awarded to the Korean performer Geumhyung Jeong for her solo «CPR Practice», in which she destabilises the assumed relationship between object and subject in an unsettling seductive way. The jury praised her for «the rigour and commitment to her singular and unique proposal».

The prestigious Swiss international theatre awards were announced on the occasion of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel 2014 - the 2-week international theatre festival held every summer. The Zürcher Kantonalbank Patronage Prize and the Zücher Kantonalbank Acknowledgment Prize were awarded by Dr. Jànos Blum, presidium member of the Zürcher Kantonalbank, and Peter Haerle, director cultural affairs city of Zürich.

Zürcher Kantonalbank Patronage Prize CHF 30,000

The Zürcher Kantonalbank Patronage Prize is awarded annually to an artist or a company working in independent theatre, dance theatre or performance art, who have distinguished themselves and shown innovation in the creation of new work. The aim of this prize is to support the chosen recipient in their future projects. The criteria for candidates is that the significant work for which the award is actually given has had its premiere within the past two years. The festival board nominates five to seven productions from the festival’s current programme. Precedence is given to artists who the board feel have yet to receive a level of public recognition that is commensurate with their achievements. Former winners of the prize are excluded from nomination.

Zürcher Kantonalbank Acknowledgement Prize CHF 5,000

The Acknowledgment Prize allows for additional recognition and support of a nominee whose work is considered to be outstanding. It is awarded to a company or an artist for extraordinary achievement in such areas as choreography, dramaturgy, audience participation or acting.
Unlike standard procedures, 2012 and 2013 all productions presented in «Short Pieces» have been nominated for the Acknowledgment Prize, unless the artists have not previously won either the Patronage or the Acknowledgment Prize.