The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, the international hub supporting the exchange of creative ideas across borders, cultural domains and Romani identities, has announced its shortlist of finalists for the prestigious Biennial Tajsa Roma Cultural Heritage Prize 2023. The Award winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Gorki Theatre on November 30 in Berlin.
The 10,000-euro Tajsa Prize, in its third edition, is designed to celebrate and honour exceptional individuals who are leading voices in the contemporary Roma cultural movement. It strives to inspire Roma pride and spotlight the talent and creativity of Roma cultural producers.
The award recognises those who have excelled in various domains of arts and culture, including but not limited to visual arts, performing arts, literature, photography, film, design, dance, music, fashion, as well as scholarship, knowledge production, critical thinking, and media including journalists, bloggers and media producers.
In the lead-up to the event, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) Executive Director Timea Junghaus said, “The Tajsa Prize embodies the founding principles of ERIAC and the spirit of Roma history and cultural heritage while looking onwards, shaping and re-inventing forms of Roma cultural expressions for the next generations.
The prize aims to honour outstanding individuals who are leading voices of the Roma cultural movement today. It seeks to encourage Roma pride and promote the creativity, virtuosity, and talent of Roma cultural producers.”
The nominees for the 2023 Tajsa Roma Cultural Heritage Prize are:
Franciska Farkas/Kristóf Horváth, both award-winning actors from Budapest, are notable for their contributions to the world of theatre, film, poetry, and talent education.
The Jury has nominated them together for their outstanding performance in the movie Three Thousand Numbered Pieces (2022), “a political, cruel and original film spiced with dark humour, which makes an urgently needed and impactful statement against injustice, prejudice, discrimination and racism against the Roma, the biggest European minority”.
Gabi Jimenez, a visual artist residing in France, has consistently addressed social injustices and tragedies, positioning his work at the forefront of the Roma art and culture discourse.
One of the exhibiting artists of Paradise Lost, the First Roma Pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2007, Jimenez has recently sparked interest with his installation “Musée du Gadjo”, exhibited at the Mucem in the frame of the Barvalo exhibition (10 May-4 September 2023).
Lindy Larsson, a talented actor and singer from Sweden, has graced major theatres with his diverse roles and has made a significant impact on the stage through his outstanding performances. He was one of the leading actors in the Roma Armee play and has been a member of the Maxim Gorki ensemble since 2020.
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, the first artist of Roma origin who represented Poland at the Venice Biennale in 2022, is celebrated for her vibrant and self-assured Roma iconography, challenging stereotypes and engaging in a critical dialogue with historical depictions of the Roma community.
Patchworks made of curtains, jewellery, shirts, and sheets are sewn together to form so-called ‘microcarriers’ of history, as she often uses fabrics collected from family and friends.
Emília Rigová, aka Bári Raklóri, is a visual artist from Slovakia dedicated to a public dialogue about Romani identity. Rigová’s works are based on social research and analysis.
They sometimes take the form of performances and installations in public spaces and can also be seen as forms of political activism. She exhibited at the Milan Triennale in 2022, and her latest show at Vienna’s Mumok (Who Will Play For Me?) explores the tensions around the musical heritage of the Roma.
Previous winners of the award have included Alina Serban, winner of the Best Actress Award at the German Actors Guild Awards 2020 for her leading role in “Gipsy Queen”, a nominee for Best Actress of the German Film Award 2020, the representative of Romania at The Cannes International Film Festival 2018 for her leading role in Alone at My Wedding and the first Roma woman theatre and film director of Romania and director and Zita Moldovan, a Romanian actress, journalist and fashion designer.
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, from the series Out of Egypt, 2021, tapestry, 230 x 246 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
About ERIAC
ERIAC is an international creative hub created to support cross-border idea exchange, cultural domains and Romani identities. It steadfastly promotes Romani contributions to European cultures whilst documenting the experiences of the Romani people in Europe.
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