Promotion Prize of the Province of Styria for Contemporary Visual Art & Art Space Styria

From its beginnings to the present day, the Promotion Prize of the Province of Styria for Contemporary Visual Art has acted as a seismograph of a lively art scene. Over several generations it has performed essential positioning work for the state and its artists. A number of internationally renowned artists from Styria can be found in the archives of this competition, which was first held in 1959.

The tried and tested procedure of entrusting the selection of the prize-winners and the curation of the exhibition to a renowned external curator meets of course the requirement of objectivity; also, it contributes positively to improving cultural networks between Styria and its European neighbours. Several curators of the sponsorship award were previously associated with the Neue Galerie Graz and curated exhibitions here. Through the award, they also came into contact with local artists, leading occasionally to further connections.

On the other hand, residencies in other countries are a reflection more than ever of the reality of artists’ lives and are also actively supported in Styria through special funding programs. Thus, this competition has always stood for a pooled presentation of achievements in contemporary visual arts through the cosmopolitan interplay on an artistic and curatorial level.

In line with this traditional format and running parallel to it is the exhibition Art Space Styria. In it, Styrian participants in the various studio programmes and Culture Section foreign scholarships in the 2023/24 stipend period present their works. In this way, the Neue Galerie Graz turns the spotlight towards year-end 2025 on contemporary art featuring artists from Styria or closely associated with it, once again demonstrating the diversity and creativity of the local art scene.