On the 15th of September, the Winners of the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Inaugural Art Prize received their awards among the crowds and excitement of the opening of ‘Ephemeral’, the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery. San Francisco certainly knows how to bring the party! Thanks to all the wonderful collectors, art lovers and artists that celebrated with us, you all made it a truly special night!
The ‘Ephemeral’ exhibition was the Beautiful Bizarre print magazine brought to life by over 60 of the world’s best 2 and 3 dimensional artists – many of whom attended the opening reception. It was also for the first time we showcased the work of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize winners.
As a leader and advocate for the arts, the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize furthers our mission to inspire creatives from around the world to pursue a life and career in the arts, and to help careers grow through our exposure of their work.
With so many exceptional entries the Jury Panel had a very difficult task choosing the winners. However we were thrilled with the result – and it was the great pleasure of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Editor-in-Chief Danijela Krha Purssey to present the winners of the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Art Prize their beautiful handmade glass trophies!
Special thanks to this year’s sponsor Trekell Art Supplies for their generous support.
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine and the winners deeply appreciate your support!
Due to popular demand, we are expanding the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Art Prize next year to include digital art and photography, as well as all traditional mediums. To ensure you don’t miss the details when we launch the 2019 Art Prize, please join our mailing list.
You can also take a look at the winning 2018 Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Art Prize entries here.
1st Prize Winner
Daniel Bilmes
[United States]
Daniel Bilmes is a contemporary painter, working in Los Angeles. His approach is characterized by deep personal exploration, combining realism with elements of symbolism and abstraction. Through tactile textures and delicate expressions, his paintings weave together the magical and mundane. His work is at once hopeful and brooding. Realistic and symbolic. Somewhere between the vitality of the Russian circus and the gravitas of a Churchill speech.
Daniel began his art education at the age of 8 under the tutelage of his father, the respected artist and educator, Semyon Bilmes. Being immersed in art from such an early age had a profound impact on his personal growth and creativity, laying a lasting foundation of curiosity that continues to drive and inform his work today.
2nd Prize Winner
Kazuhiro Hori
[Japan]
Kazuhiro Hori was born in Japan in 1969. He graduated from Kanazawa College of Art. Having made painting his main discipline, he portrays a bitter sweet vision of adolescents in disconcerting environments filled with soft toys and sweets.
3rd Prize Winner
Olga Esther
[Spain]
Olga Esther is a Spanish painter and illustrator. She is a graduate of fine arts from Polytechnic University of Valencia, she is the recipient of two art scholarships in Prague and Mexico.
She also holds a master‘s degree in video games. Now, she lives and works in Valencia. Olga Esther paints princesses who don’t want to be princesses, birds who cry blood, and toads who kill themselves because they are ignored. She uses princess symbolism to talk about gender and feminism.
Congratulations again to the Inaugural Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Art Prize winners on their exceptional entries and their works for the ‘Ephemeral’ exhibition. It was a pleasure working with each of you and we look forward to watching your artistic practice progress and, of course, working with you again in the future.
Video and photography courtesy of Michael Cuffe.