The awards — €10,000 for Gavin-Viano and €5000 for Ege Şahin — were presented by Renate Eringa, chair of Codart’s Executive Board, and Alice Fortes, board member of the Stichting Ondernemersbelangen Rotterdam (SOR), on 6 March. With this award, SOR aims to provide a financial boost to young, enterprising artists. The award is named after Henri Winkelman (1937-2010), who was a SOR board member for many years, and brings together two aspects of his thinking: art and entrepreneurship.
Since 2003, the HWA is presented by SOR every year to alumni of the Willem de Kooning Academie, and in 2021 an HWA was established for former students of Codarts (graduated in or after 2012). Candidates have to submit a detailed project plan that emphasises entrepreneurship and a surplus value for Rotterdam. A committee, consisting of Rosa Boon, Maite Hontelé, Remy van Kesteren and Monica van Steen, has selected this year’s two winners. Gavin-Viano and Ege Şahin convinced the committee with their progressive plans.
“Both Şahin’s innovative field recordings study in the Rotterdam harbour and Gavin-Viano’s inclusive production prioritise a collective interest and transcend the individual interests of the makers”, according to the committee’s report.
“These makers demonstrate their entrepreneurship together with relevant partners in science, culture and education, involving the city and the people of Rotterdam in a special way.”
Gavin-Viano will use the prize money to develop his production A Melody for Grown-ups (working title). It is a coming-of-age story about his youth in Rotterdam and how he has grown into the person he is today. This production is a monologue, accompanied by a jazz pianist and for violinists and will premiere at the Parade 2023.
Ege Şahin will spend his prize on the realisation of his project Soaked to the Ears. Using a special audio-visual sound installation of oil drums, Ege will study sounds in the harbour of Rotterdam. With this research process he aims to create archival information and bring the public into contact with a subject that is so close yet often remains unheard.
Codarts alumni
Gavin-Viano did the study programme Dance in Education at Codarts, where he graduated in 2012. Ege Şahin studied composition with Paul M. van Brugge, René Uijlenhoet and Robin de Raaff. Ege combined his Bachelors in arts and science in the dual degree programme of the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab, a collaboration between Codarts, the Erasmus University Rotterdam and William the Kooning Academy Rotterdam.
Stichting Ondernemersbelangen Rotterdam (SOR) was founded in 1949 and supports projects that can make a difference in Rotterdam and surroundings. Among other things they support social and cultural initiatives that are important to society and enhance the business environment.
