In my opinion there is nothing more rewarding than supporting young and emerging talent, and helping to boost their careers. That is what we do here at the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize and with my Yasha Young Sculpture Award. By supporting the process I can give the select artist the freedom to experiment and truly support the creative process, which is a passion of mine. Buying art is important, but supporting the artists to enable them to create, in my opinion is just as vital and an age-old concept. I wish more collectors would support artists they love outside of commission purchases. There are many options to create a win win situation.

YAHSA YOUNG, FOUNDER OF YASHA YOUNG PROJECTS

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.

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.

I would also like to sincerely thank the 2023 Jury Panel, particularly the Sculpture category Judge Ellen Jewett, for giving her time and expertise to the panel. Additionally I warmly thank the other Category Judges:  Rebecca Leveille (Traditional Art juror), Ellen Sheidlin (Photography 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: Yasha Young Projects, INPRNT, RAYMAR, 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.

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

Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award

The Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award 1st prize winner will receive:

• $3,000 USD cash, generously donated by Yasha Young Projects, arts philanthropist and Executive Curatorial Director for the FOR_M, a new institution currently being developed in New York city.
• $400 USD worth of services from Stan Winston School, including an all-access 1 year subscription which includes unlimited access to their Course library by The Masters of FX, with new courses added every month. Plus exclusive access to the Behind-the-Scenes Documentary stream.
• $250 USD worth of supplies of your choice from Sculpey, making polymer oven-bake clays for over 50 years.
• 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.

2nd prize winner will receive:

• $300 USD worth of services from Stan Winston School, including a 3 month subscription including full access to the entire course library. Plus exclusive access to the Behind-the-Scenes Documentary stream.
• 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.

3rd prize winner will receive:

• $100 USD worth of services from Stan Winston School, including a 1 month subscription including full access to the entire course library. Plus exclusive access to the Behind-the-Scenes Documentary stream.
• The opportunity to exhibit in the prestigious Beautiful Bizarre Magazine exhibition at Haven Gallery, in New York, USA, alongside 80+ 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 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 Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award Winners: Entei Ryu, Kristine & Colin Poole, and Forest Rogers!

3rd Prize Winner

Ryu Entei

Currently resides: Japan

“Metamorphosis”, Resin, mineral pigments, whitewash, acrylic paint, copper foil, 32 x 24 x 17 cm.

Ryu Entei is a concept artist based in Tokyo. Her artistic creations are full of fantasy and surreal elements, particularly in her sculptures, which are based on classical realism and skillfully blend Eastern and Western cultures, modern digital media, and traditional Japanese art techniques. Her works cover many different fields, including film, games, illustration, and fashion. Her artistic style is characterized by strong emotional expression and bursting vitality. Mysterious, mythical, spiritual, and life-related themes often appear in her works, evoking resonance and emotional connection in the hearts of the audience.

“Metamorphosis“: Inspired by ancient myths of the Korean Peninsula, I depict the beasts who once prayed to be transformed into humans by the gods but were left wandering. The tigers are portrayed as primal, wild forces of nature. The transformation of animals into humans is represented by the emergence of softer, more fluid energy, suggesting the development of a more nuanced, complex humanity. With a mythological and classical shell, I attempt to portray the fundamental struggle within the human psyche to recon.

2nd Prize Winner

Kristine & Colin Poole

Currently reside in: United States

“Dove Dreams of Flying”, Fired clay, acrylic, 18 x 24 x 15 in.

Kristine and Colin Poole’s classically inspired contemporary realist sculptures have been widely recognized and collected. Their collaborations bridge many genres, featuring prominently in international publications including Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, 500 Figures in Clay, Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Ireland, Masters of Contemporary Fine Art and The ARC International Salon. While maintaining their individual bodies of work, the Pooles’ commission projects include public art monuments for the Michigan Carnegie Library and Arlington County, Virginia. Their corporate client commissions include The National Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy, National Geographic, US Mint, USPS, PBS, Coca Cola, Sony, Lourdes Cathedral France and numerous other Fortune 500 companies. Recognizing the potential for the arts to enlighten and shift perspectives, the Pooles have long been dedicated proponents of encouraging creativity in others. They have judged many contests, are monthly contributors to the art blog, Muddy Colors, and donate their time to give demonstrations and lectures on art and business. They currently live and create in the Sangre de Cristo mountains surrounded by their menagerie of birds and beasts.

“Dove Dreams of Flying”: This sculpture was inspired by the birds in our aviary and how much our pet friends enrich our lives. The bird is a portrait of Zozo, our favorite Damascene pigeon and the young woman is named after Dove, our first bird. Here, perhaps Zozo shares a story about what it’s like to fly and Dove begins to daydream. Or it may be that the bird represents our inner self, when we launch off into a new direction in life, whispering in our ear, “You can do it! You’ll find your wings… I promise.”

1st Prize Winner

Forest Rogers

Currently resides: United States

“The Virgin Shrimp”, Japanese air-dry clay, Kozo tissue, acrylic gel, paints & inks. Epoxy clay, brass rod & stainless-steel wire armature, 25 x 10 x 10 in.

Forest Rogers, daughter of two painters, received an MFA in Costume Design from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Forest has an eclectic history. She has painted nine-foot angels in a cathedral dome, and sculpted creatures that may dwell in your childhood toy box. She has collaborated with paleontologists on dinosaur prototypes, and with aquariums on sea life and poison dart frogs. In recent years she has focused entirely on her own art, exploring mythology, fairy and folktale, and the surreal. Her work resides in many private collections and appears in numerous books and magazines, including volumes of Spectrum Fantastic Art, Infected By Art, and Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.

“The Virgin Shrimp”: The astonishing garments of Queen Elizabeth the First and her peers resemble paradoxical exoskeletons: denfence and encumbrance, dominance and confinement. Threat and seduction. Add a wander the realm of the Faerie Queene and a soupçon of Midsummer Night’s dreaming, and the result, for me, was the Virgin Shrimp and her adoring Crab. Would the Queen have been amused? I am not sure.