2024 GRAND PRIZE WINNER

DARYA FARD

“This body of work consists of two-dimensional and three-dimensional installations, complemented by performances that explore spiritual inquiry and its relationship with the inner world, nature, and universal consciousness. Conceptually, I draw on Persian literature, mythology, and epic poetry to examine the physical and spiritual realms, offering a holistic perspective on the world. Through these narratives, I create metaphorical, mystical creatures arranged in organic, unified visual forms that serve as a language to convey abstract concepts like the ineffable and transcendence.

By crafting immersive, atmospheric spaces, I integrate psychology, mythology, and the natural world into my work. Recently, I have begun incorporating scientific studies and natural phenomena to deepen my exploration. I investigate the psychological concept of flow states, particularly how humans experience ecstatic flow through connections with both nature and their inner world.

My aesthetic approach emphasizes traditional visual art methods, particularly printmaking techniques such as lithography, intaglio, silkscreen, woodcut, linocut, monoprint, and alternative photographic processes. I often blend these with time-based media like video, dance/movement, sound, and the interplay of light and shadow. By overlapping and layering these elements, I create transformative spaces that symbolize the cyclical rhythms of the universe, inviting viewers to engage with their senses and experience flow.”

- Darya Fard

2024 Finalist

Marianne Mccarthy

“It is my feeling that the need for a hard definition of reality impedes a full understanding of human experience. For as long as I can remember, it is this assertion that is at the root of my personal interest, exploration, and work as an artist.

Several years back, I was gifted an archive of turn-of-the-century glass negatives from painter and colleague, Josh Dorman. An ideal vehicle for the synthesis of ideas and experiences relating to my study and practice of mediumship, they catalyzed several photographic series which utilized portraits of Victorian-era women.

I have explored many materials in an attempt to communicate the etherial, often invisible nature of my subjects, but analog photography has been a consistent through-line. The nature of a darkroom in many ways mirrors a traditional séance parlor. Shielded from external light, and dimly illuminated from within; both are liminal spaces where a productive atmosphere can be destroyed in an instant by the presence of white light. Utilizing specialized tools, techniques, and disciplines within the restriction of this analog space, I summon the particular synchronicities that only a darkroom can provide. This work illustrates the unfolding of my own intensely interior process; the building of a connection to an obscured reality. The work describes experiences that I often feel defy words. Inviting this practice into my darkroom has revealed qualities and conditions that both activities require, and strengthened the idea that art-making itself can be a form of spirit communication.

I want to be at the séance when the three knocks are heard. I want to be astonished by the speed and trajectory of those strange lights in the sky. I want to witness the subject levitate. A commitment to wandering into the blurred outer rings of human experience is my most valued art-making tool.”

- Marianne McCarthy

2024 FINALIST

Miya Hannan

“I view the world as one comprised of layers and linkages of history—a chain of lives and events that leads from one to the next. Landscape holds the record of these histories. Using images of nature and physical objects as narrative triggers, my artwork tries to preserve sorties of people and their histories that are almost forgotten or, otherwise, can be lost. In Japan, where I grew up, the souls of the dead live on, spirits exist within nature, and land retains its destiny—people inherit the histories of the land on which they live. I am interested in the relationship between humanity and the information trapped in nature.

My recent works focus on forgotten Asian histories in the United States. Histories of oppressed people often fade away, yet they are important parts of what built the country. My action to trace materials of hidden histories is my way of making these histories feel real and alive. The stories of the dead and their histories exist around us, creating layers of rich histories that enhance our lives. My work depicts my view of death as another form of being alive.”

- Miya Hannan

2024 FINALIST

ALEKSANDRA SCEPANOVIC

Aleksandra Scepanovic is a sculptor whose work delves into the complexities of migratory displacement, identity, and the tension between opposing states—war and peace, destruction and restoration, chaos and order. Drawing from her lived experiences, Aleksandra's sculptures reflect this intricate balance.

Aleksandra's sculptures challenge innermost perceptions, engaging with the boundary between form and expectation. Her work harnesses fragmented shapes, inviting viewers to compare rational forms with intuition and reflect on the interplay between presence and absence, wholeness and fracture. Through her exploration of transformation, her sculptures stand as strong preambles to wonder, offering space for contemplation and self-discovery.

Today, Aleksandra creates in her studio in Woodstock, NY, channeling the echoes of her life into her art.

2024 MERIT AWARDEES

Anne Skoogfors

Tünde Kácsor

Jadiss Chea

Chantal Westby

Andre Ramos Woodard

Leslie Wilson

Patricia Ingersoll

Andy Mattern

Julie Alland

Michael Young

Rhonda Babb

John A. Benigno

Suzanne Benton

Lily Colman

Carissa Eich

Michelle Feinberg

Linda Dubin Garfield

Stephanie Grant

Nataliya Hines

Kip Harris

Epiphany Knedler

Patricia McElroy

Dorothy McGuinness

Camille Li

Rita Myers

Diane Pak

Walter Plotnick

Mary Powers-Holt

Raymond Holman

Edward Rodriguez

Ken “Tsunami” Shep

John Sproul

Hanna Vogel

Keke Yang

Alice Zakharenko

Toby Zallman

Shuyuan Zhou

Triesta Zuber

Sergey Yenin

VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS OF THE AWARDEES COMING SOON!

To learn more about The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art:
The Kite Prize — Amie Potsic Art Advisory