Edward Steichen prize 2011

(CS) Maria Loboda and Claudia Passeri were announced the laureates of this year's Edward Steichen Award at a ceremony on Thursday.

Polish artist Loboda took home the fourth Edward Steichen Award for her work which is characterised “by a fundamental interest to translate language and knowledge into single objects and special ensembles,” according the the award's website.

The award comes with a six month residency at New York's International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP). The 32-year-old was chosen by an international jury, including Olga Sviblova, (Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow), Dirk Snauwaert (Museum Wiels – Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels) and Scott Rothkopf, (Whitney Museum for American Art, New York).

This year also saw the first time the Edward Steichen Luxembourg Resident in New York prize was awarded. Claudia Passeri, born 1977 in Luxembourg, will be able to spend a three month residency at the ISCP, as chosen by a Luxembourg jury.

The award ceremony hosted at the MUDAM was also attended by HRH Maria Teresa, culture minister Octavie Modert, Swiss artist Beat Streuli, and Edward Steichen's granddaughter Ariana Stahmer.

The Edward Steichen Award is given out every two years to promote contemporary art talent between the ages of 25 and 35 in Europe. The award is a tribute to Luxembourg born artist and curator Edward Steichen and his commitment to promoting the arts and nurturing new talent.

Steichen, born in Bivange in 1879, is most well-known for his photography, with his pictorialist photo “The Pond – Moonlight” catching just over $2.9 million dollars at a 2006 auction, then the highest price ever paid for a photograph.

The award is seen as a cross-cultural, artistic and educational bridge between Luxembourg and New York, which eventually became Steichen's home.