The Prize seeks to inspire creatives from around the world to pursue a life and career in the arts, and to help careers grow through funding and increased exposure of their work to galleries, collectors and media globally.

DANIJELA KRHA PURSSEY, CO-FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BEAUTIFUL BIZARRE MAGAZINE

Thank you & Acknowledgements

Once again, we would like to thank all of the artists that entered – who 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 inspirational stories.

Danijela Krha Purssey, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief has the pleasure, and the honour of curating each issue of the magazine, and our yearly exhibitions. The incredible Art Prize entries that we received 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 2023 Jury Panel: particularly the Photography Category Judge Ellen Sheidlin, who her time and expertise to the panel. Additionally I warmly thank the other Category Judges:  Rebecca Leveille (Traditional Art juror), Ellen Jewett (Sculpture juror), and Laura H. Rubin (Digital Art juror), as well as the Directors of Haven Gallery, Erica Berkowitz & Joseph Weinreb.

Our deep gratitude goes to our amazing Gold Partners: INPRNT, RAYMAR, Yasha Young Projects, and iCanvas for their ongoing support of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, and the life changing opportunities it brings to artists from around the world. Thank you also to the Beautiful Bizarre team for their dedication and hard work on behalf of the Prize all-year round. The judging process was extremely difficult with an incredible amount noteworthy entries, so thank you again!

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

INPRNT Photography Award

The INPRNT Photography Award 1st prize winner will receive:

• US$3,000 USD cash, generously donated by INPRNT, printers of high quality art prints. INPRNT is run by artists, for artists.
• A beautiful, specially commissioned glass art award trophy.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery, in New York, 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 platforms).
• Winning artwork printed in the December 2023 issue of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, as part of the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize editorial.
• 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 coupon to enjoy Linktree PRO for free for 12 months.
• A year’s worth of inspiration – a print subscription to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

The 2nd and 3rd prize winners will receive:

• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery, in New York, 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.
• A coupon to enjoy Linktree PRO for free for 12 months.
• 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 2023 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize INPRNT Photography Award Winners: Michaela Durisova, Iness Rychlik, and Petite Doll!

3rd Prize Winner

Michaela Ďurišová

Born: Slovakia. Currently resides: Austria.

“Fairy Godmother”, Digital: Canon 5d mark IV, Canon 24-70 mm 2.8 II,/iso 100, 45 mm, f/10, 1/160 sec. Model: Vlasta Gerhardová.

Michaela Ďurišová is a fine art photographer, and a designer of floral accessories and decorations. In her spare time, she enjoys watercolour painting and singing, but her heart is drawn more and more to fine art photography. She is enchanted by art itself. Michaela Ďurišová has a degree in music and drama, but she was already interested in fine arts and scenography during her studies. In 2009, she founded the floral handmade accessories brand called Magaela, which is now worn by people all over the world. She started in the world of photography mainly to showcase her handmade accessories, but over time she fell in love with fine art photography. Her work mirrors certain images of her life, which she inserts as fragments from different periods. In her work you will find inspiration in antiquity, Greek, Renaissance, Art Nouveau, and Raffaelists. She is also fascinated by the artists, philosophers, poets, writers and composers themselves, often finding inspiration in Greek mythology. When creating new designs of accessories and taking photos, she likes to improvise and prepares only main concepts, thus considering her own work as an aestheticization of her own feelings and life.

“Fairy Godmother”: The moth, which is often considered an ugly creature. Michaela knows many people who are actually afraid of these creatures, and they see them as a symbol of evil. However, she is fascinated by moths and firmly believe that looking at these photos of her mom you will at least pause to reflect that beauty can come in many forms – what one may see as “ugly” to another may find “beautiful”… she thinks all feelings are just fine as long as they don’t escalate into attacks and hatred.”

2nd Prize Winner

Iness Rychlik

Born: Poland. Currently resides: United Kingdom.

“Beyond Repair”, Digital: Canon 6D, 1.4 50mm, Self-portrait

Iness Rychlik is a Polish-born artist, based in the UK. Despite her severe myopia, Iness has been dedicated to visual storytelling since her early teens. Iness Rychlik is recognized for her dark surreal self-portraits; exploring themes of pain, solitude and vulnerability. Since she suffers from a chronic skin condition, Iness uses her own body as a canvas for artistic expression. She draws on her deeply personal experiences, often reflecting on growing up in a conservative and patriarchal society. The subtle elegance of Rychlik’s compositions contrasts with an underlying aura of brutality. Her conceptual photographs provoke the viewer’s imagination, rather than satisfy it. Featured by ‘The British Journal of Photography’, ‘Cultura Inquieta’, ‘Beautiful Bizarre Magazine’, ‘L’Officiel Italia’, BBC Scotland.

“Beyond Repair”: Iness suffers from a hyper-sensitive skin condition. As a teenager, she would often attempt to cover it up; and resented being asked if she had accidentally burnt herself. Throughout the years, Iness have learnt to see her skin as a canvas of expression, rather than an ugly inconvenience that should be kept hidden. Photography has been instrumental in her process of overcoming both physical and psychological difficulties.

1st Prize Winner

Petite Doll

Born: Italy. Currently resides: London

“The Claw Machine”, Digital: Nikon D750 / 28mm, Self-portrait

Giulia Grillo aka Petite Doll is an Italian photo artist based in London, practicing across the worlds of art, advertising and social media. Her surrealist language is free from reason, and it takes the photographic medium out of its conventional objective role. Through the art of self-portrait, the artist explores her identity and the depths of her imagination, creating a perfect balance between the beautiful and the disturbing. Combining surrealist art with photography, she transforms herself into distinct characters, building a bridge between the art and the digital world. Each work carries a whole manifestation of an intricate concept, whipping from the unsettling to the cute, reflecting the contemporary society and its underlying fears and desires.

“The Claw Machine”: The photograph captures a dream-like scene of a woman, resembling a mannequin, lying on a bed with a claw machine grasping at her heart. The surrealist combination of elements, such as the mechanical claw and the eerily still subject, evoke a sense of detachment and manipulation. The composition of the image, with the claw looming over the woman’s chest, creates an unsettling atmosphere, suggesting a theme of loss of control and vulnerability.