Rene Coelho Award 2004

05-03-2004

Joost Bakker, who is a graduate of the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnhem, has been selected by the jury as the winner of the 2004 René Coelho Award. The award, which is named for René Coelho, the founder and former director of the Netherlands Media Art Institute, comprises a sum of 1250 Euro and use of production facilities to the sum of 3500 Euro in order to create new work. Eight Dutch art academies each nominate work by one graduating student, from among whom the ultimate selection is made.
Within six months of the presentation of the prize the graduation project on which it was based and the new work will be presented in the Netherlands Media Art Institute.

Jury report
The jury made the general remark that they were disappointed in the selection that the academies made from the range of work by graduating students at their schools. According to the jury, it was not always the best work from the department which was chosen.

Regarding the prize winner Joost Bakker, they wrote, "The work of Joost Bakker consists primarily of drawn animations, and in addition, of spatial objects. The jury had high regard for the animations, drawn with pencil and charcoal. In terms of content, his animations show absurd stories, for instance of a football pitch on a high building, where someone comes around to steal the corner flags, or architecture in which up and down play no role, and two bungy-jumpers from the upper and underworlds try to reach each other.
The technique used by Joost Bakker is both simple and effective, by drawing and/or erasing each sequence on one sheet of paper. The jury valued the quality of the drawing, the well chosen camera placements, and the humor that emerges from all the work."

The jury was comprised of:
Jeroen Kooijmans (artist)
Ann Demeester (Director, W139)
Geert van de Wetering (VPRO)
Heiner Holtappels (Director, Netherlands Media Art Institute, non-voting chairman)