During the last few years, Zebrastraat Ghent has developed into a stimulating knowledge centre with a strong interest in art. Every two years we organize a biennial called update_, and the New Technological Art Award (NTAA) contest, which tries to fill in a gap in the mainstream art world, by paying attention to the technological developments that drive our global culture. NTAA selects and presents creations in which the culture-forming role of technology occupies a central place. Low or high tech, intuitive or experimental, the creations always draw our attention to actual innovative trends. The exhibition of achievements of the selected winners is a compass that orients you to the relevant temporal and resilient use of technology in the artistic sector.

The mission of NTAA

NTAA’s mission is to expand the scope of contemporary artistic creations and traditional media with works using contemporary and new technologies in an original and intelligent way: treatment of sounds and light, use of new media, application of innovative evolutions in communications, telecommunications and broadcasting, centered on the world of information, communication, and computers and interaction. These descriptions are in no way restrictive and should be interpreted in the broadest way possible.

General guidelines for entry in the NTAA competition

The aim of the competition is to present works in accordance with NTAA’s mission. The submitted work may have been exhibited previously, but the jury reserves the right to exclude creations that turn out to be not realizable within the limits of the practical possibilities of the Liedts-Meesen Foundation, keeping in mind that the works will be displayed during the exhibition. The basic equipment is available and at the disposal of the selected artists; specific and special equipment must be provided for and lent by the artists for the duration of the exhibition. This international competition is open to all age groups and to all nationalities. Artists can present their candidacy for one art work less than two years old at the time of its submission, but which may already have been exhibited. English is the working language. There is no artist fee. Free accommodation for the artists is available in Zebrastraat. The 20 projects selected by the jury will be rendered public at the website in June 2019.

Apply here: http://application.ntaa.be/

Prize

A cash award of 5,000 euro will be allocated to a work and to its creator. Moreover, the jury reserves the right to award an honorable mention to an artist. The Liedts-Meesen Foundation and the jury reserve the right to not award the prize and to transfer it to the next exhibition. There will also be a public prize and a prize of the European Commission. The winners will be announced at the final day of the exhibition.

The professional jury is composed of:

The Liedts-Meesen Foundation, Jean-Marie Dallet (Artist, research professor at the Université Paris 8), Stef Van Bellingen (Consultant for Zebrastraat / Artistic leader VZW Warp), Paul Dujardin (Artistic Director Bozar), Nick Ervinck (artist, winner of the update_2 public award), Yves Bernard (Artistic Director iMal), Alain Thibault (Artistic Director Elektra), Ralph Dum (Scientific officer and senior expert of the European Commission) and Karen Helmerson (Program Director for Electronic Media, Film & Visual Art at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)).

For more information, contact art consultant Annelies Geenen – annelies@zebrastraat.be.

ntaa.be