Thank you & Acknowledgements

Once again, we would like to thank all of the artists that entered and shared their work and their artistic passion with us. It was such a pleasure to immerse ourselves in the work of so many creatives, working across varied mediums and styles, and reading their stories.

Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Danijela Krha Purssey has the pleasure of curating each issue of the magazine and our exhibitions. The Art Prize entries will continue to give her a plethora of new ideas and choices to pursue in future. So thank you again for your interest in the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, we very much hope to see how your work has grown and developed in next year’s Prize.

We would also like to sincerely thank the 2024 Jury Panel: particularly the Traditional Category Judge Michael Parkes for giving his time and expertise to the panel. Additionally, we warmly thank the other Category Judges: Kirsty Mitchell (Photography juror), Erika Sanada (Sculpture juror) and Karl Ortiz (Digital Art juror), as well as the Directors of Modern Eden Gallery, Kim Larson & Bradley Platz.

To our major sponsors: Tracey Maigne & Keeley Gerard, Owners and Directors of Musonium Gallery; 33PA‘s CEO, Marketing Director & Curator, Didi Menendez; RAYMAR President & Creative Director, Emilie Dietrich; Yasha Young Projects Founder Yasha Young; and the Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, Catherine K. Gyllerstrom – our deepest gratitude for supporting this year’s Prize. It is through your support and generosity that the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize is able to acknowledge and uplift so many incredible artists and photographers from around the world.

As always a huge thanks also to the Beautiful Bizarre team for their dedication and hard work on behalf of the prize and winners all-year round.

Our sincere thanks to this year’s Traditional Art Award sponsors listed below. It is through their generosity that the Traditional Art Award Winners will be able to enrich their practice.

RAYMAR Traditional Art Award

The RAYMAR Traditional Art Award 1st prize winner will receive:

• $3,000 USD cash, generously donated by RAYMAR, creators of the finest panels! Panels are their passion. They craft their panels with the world’s finest materials to serve as the foundation for your artwork. 
• $750 USD cash, generously donated by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom, Collector, Art Consultant, Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, an independent publishing house that specializes in Illustrated Fantasy, Mythology, and Stories for Young Readers.
• $1,500 USD worth of art photography and/or Fine Art archival print reproduction from Static Medium.
• A full grant to experience the 7-day Quarantine event “THE ART SPIRIT” from April 7th to 13th, 2025, on Lazaretto Island in Menorca Spain, generously donated by Quarantine Events. The grant includes 8 nights stay in a nearby hotel (breakfast included), plus the 7-day event including boot camps with each of the guest mentors, masterclasses and other activities, easel and other large or non-transportable materials, most beverages and daily lunch and dinner. Travel expenses to/from Menorca, personal painting supplies, and additional hotel expenses are not includes in the grant.
• A bespoke box of paints and varnishes generously designed and manufactured by Dartecor, created especially for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024.
• A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• 3 month social media advertising package (Beautiful Bizarre Magazine: 1 million+ followers across all social media platforms).
• Winning artwork published in the December 2024 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
• A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

2nd prize winner will receive:

• $1,000 USD cash, generously donated by Rosemary Brushes, the finest quality handmade Artists’ Brushes.
• $750 USD cash, generously donated by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom, Collector, Art Consultant, Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, an independent publishing house that specializes in Illustrated Fantasy, Mythology, and Stories for Young Readers.
• $250 USD gift voucher, generously donated by Golden Artist Colors, manufacturer of artist quality materials including colours and mediums for painting in acrylics, oils, pastels and watercolour.
• A bespoke box of paints and varnishes generously designed and manufactured by Dartecor, created especially for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
• A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

3rd prize winner will receive:

• $500 USD cash, generously donated by Rosemary Brushes, the finest quality handmade Artists’ Brushes.
• $500 USD cash, generously donated by Catherine K. Gyllerstrom, Collector, Art Consultant, Owner & Art Director of BearWolf Books, an independent publishing house that specializes in Illustrated Fantasy, Mythology, and Stories for Young Readers.
• $100 USD gift voucher, plus the opportunity to join a 3hr workshop in their NY studio, generously donated by Chelsea Classical Studio, a fine art school focusing on the human figure and manufacturer of highest quality, handmade, natural, and archival artist materials created using historic methods.
• A bespoke box of paints and varnishes generously designed and manufactured by Dartecor, created especially for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2024.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Modern Eden Gallery, in San Francisco, USA, alongside 70+ of the world’s best contemporary representational artists.
• Exposure to a successful commercial gallery’s collector base with the opportunity to sell their work.
• Exclusive in-depth interview published on the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine websites + shared across Beautiful Bizarre Magazine social media.
• Profile listing [including artwork gallery] on the Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Artist Directory for 12 months. The go-to platform for artists, curators and collectors to discover exceptional artists and explore their work.
• A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

Congratulations to the 2024 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize RAYMAR Traditional Art Award Winners: Jon Ching, Haejin Yoo, and Victor Wang!

3rd Prize Winner

Jon Ching

Born in: Hawaii and currently resides: United States

“Bardo”, Oil on wood, 30″ x 24″

Jon Ching grew up steeped in the natural beauty of O’ahu which formed the foundation of his deep fascination with the natural and wild world. A self-trained painter, Jon’s devoted art practice and detailed realism is inspired by the interconnectedness of nature. Jon’s work is a surreal imagining of what limitless wonders and combinations nature can produce. His meticulously rendered oil paintings are often driven by his personal desire to find balance between the human and natural worlds, exploring themes of symbiosis and searching for connections, physical and metaphorical, across nature’s kingdoms. He has a keen interest in endangered species and seeks to share their stories, show off their idiosyncratic beauty and bring awareness of their plight. He hopes his art can spark an emotional connection and evoke compassion for the kingdoms of life. Jon’s ultimate goal is to inspire love and admiration for the universally unique beauty and intrigue of our living world.

“Bardo”: Bardo is the god of the forest floor, watching over the liminal space above ground with all that we see and the ground itself with all the unseen magic below. Conservation of energy is their specialty as they steward the transference of nutrients in a self sustaining cycle. Bardo, like the forest floor itself, invites the viewer to take a closer look and investigate what wonders are hidden under the fallen leaves.

2nd Prize Winner

Haejin Yoo

Born: South Korea, raised in: Australia, and currently resides: Germany

“Woman in the Bath VI”, Acrylic on linen and wood, hand made wooden frame, 105cm x 75cm

Haejin Yoo, a self-taught acrylic artist born in Seoul and raised in Australia, creates surrealistic expressionist art to evoke both past and present emotions. Her work transcends traditional boundaries by incorporating mixed media like acrylics, textiles, carpentry, and spray paint, aiming to breathe life into her creations and enhance their dimensionality. Discovering her artistic passion early, Haejin initially pursued a career in the sciences, which later enriched her understanding of various artistic mediums. Now residing in Cologne, Germany, she actively exhibits her work across Europe. Haejin’s notable accomplishments include being a finalist for the Boyne’s Artist Award 10th Edition in 2024, winning the Merit Prize at Teravarna’s International Juried Art Competition in 2023, receiving the Artist Expert Award from Prof. Vittorio Sgarbi in 2022, and securing the First Prize Abstract Award at the FIRA International Art Fair Barcelona 2022. Her piece ‘Woman in the Bath III’ was featured prominently at The Other Art Fair London 2024, displayed on a large banner in central London. Haejin’s work has been repeatedly spotlighted by Artfinder and Saatchi Art, and showcased at The Other Art Fair in both London and Los Angeles in 2023.

“Woman in the Bath VI”: Woman in the Bath VI is from the ongoing series captures the introspective and imaginative world of an introverted individual. Inspired by my husband, this artwork embodies a masculine and empowering feel, showcasing the strength and depth of his inner world. Unlike other pieces in the series with a melancholic tone, this painting reflects the calm and thoughtful nature of his personality, highlighting the richness of internal landscapes.

1st Prize Winner

Victor Wang

Born: China and currently resides: United States

“The Angel of Sunflower”, Oil on canvas, 63″ x 48″

Victor Wang grew up in Northern China and graduated BFA from The Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, one of three top art institutes in China. After graduation he taught there for four and a half years and was sent to The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a visiting scholar. He earned his MFA in Fontbonne University. He currently lives in St. Louis, where he teaches painting, drawing and graduate critique classes as a full professor at Fontbonne University. Victor has exhibited widely across the country and internationally and has won various awards for excellence, including awards for both painting and art instruction. His work has been shown nationally and internationally. The human figures in his paintings serve as vehicles to convey human experience, representing the emotional tension and psychological drama of life’s turning points. Nostalgia, harmony, passion, agony, sadness, and pleasure are all revealed in his new body of work in the last decade. The images portrayed in his art are provoked by childhood memories and past experiences. An artist often tells one story repeatedly; however, his story is created from the images and feelings from his past experiences that represent the memories of his life. Technically, Wang was influenced by the exaggerated way Auguste Rodin uses clay to model figures. He has tried to treat his paint on canvas as the equivalent of a sculptor’s clay to build up form on canvas. The thickness of the paint evokes a sculptural physicality.

“The Angel of Sunflower”: Her wings are woven from sunbeam threads,
A halo of warmth stop her blue head.
With each gentle breeze, she twirls and spins,
A guardian of joy where the sunlight begins.