VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

2024 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

Winner & FINALISTS

Grand prize winner

darya fard

finalists

Marianne Mccarthy

Miya Hannan

Aleksandra scepanovic

This virtual exhibition recognizes the innovative visual artists selected as finalists of the 2024 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art. The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art Award, an international visual art award, was established to recognize innovative visual artists and creatives who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their work. The award is juried by Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC choosing winning artists based on artistic excellence, creative accomplishment, and cultural significance.

2024 grand prize winner

darya fard

Darya Fard
Marietta, GA

“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

© **Darya Fard**, *The Seven Valleys Installation, The Valley of Wonderment (The 6th Valley)*, Screen Print on Plexi glass, 36’’x 72’’, 2022, (https://www.instagram.com/daryafardstudio/)

FInalists

© Marianne McCarthy, *Muse*, halochromed silver gelatin print, 5” x 7”, 2019, (www.mariannemccarthy.net)

Marianne McCarthy
Brooklyn, NY

“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

© **Marianne McCarthy**, *Swann*, silver gelatin print, 5” x 7”, 2020, (www.mariannemccarthy.net)

© **Marianne McCarthy**, *The Messenger,* vintage sg print with ink/collaged elements, 2022, 4.25” x 6.5”, (www.mariannemccarthy.net)

© **Marianne McCarthy**, *Veil of Order*, pigment print with gold ink, 2018, 11.5” x 9.5”, (www.mariannemccarthy.net)

Miya Hannan

Reno, NV

“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

Uncertain Certainty (installation/exhibition at the opium den located within the historical Chinese Herb Shop in Truckee, CA), this was held at the actual historical site in order to expose the place and its hidden history to the audience, 8 x 10 x 12 feet, 2022.

© **Miya Hannan**, *Distanced Connection (detail),* Soot on paper, tree branches, bone ash, Approx. 10’ x 12’ x 12’, 2023, (https://www.miyahannan.com)

© **Miya Hannan**, *Distanced Connection (part of the installation in Kyoto, Japan)*, Soot on paper, tree brunches, bone ash, Approx. 10 x12 x 12 feet, 2023, (https://www.miyahannan.com)

Miya Hannan Resonance (Truckee River) Soil from 5 locations around Reno, NV, silver ores, old Chinese coins, found Chinese medicine bottle, found broken china pieces, found old nails, candle, resin, glass jars, motors, copper pipe, silk, speakers (Sound by Reiko Yamada), 10 x 12 x 15 feet, 2022, (https://www.miyahannan.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *13, I Think,* Clay, 16” x 12” x 7”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

Aleksandra Scepanovic
Woodstock, NY

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.

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *Cluster,* Clay, 5.5” x 4” x 3”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *Headscapes,* Clay, Acrylic Paint, 14” x 4” x 5”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *Inbetween,* Clay, Acrylic Paint, 17” x 15” x 7”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *The Rise,* Clay, 24” x 16” x 10”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *The Hollow,* Clay, 22” x 12” x 10”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

© **Aleksandra Scepanovic,** *The Vanishing*, 22” x 12” x 10”, 2024, (aleksandrasculpture.com)

Banner Image: © Darya Fard, Myth Material Show Ineffable freedom, Installation, Mixed Media, Performance,
Projection Mapping, Video, Sound, Sculpture and Printmaking on Paper, 10' x 34’, 2024

PRESS

About The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art Award, an international visual art award, was established to recognize innovative visual artists and creatives who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their work. The award is juried by Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC choosing a winning artist based on artistic excellence, creative accomplishment, and cultural significance. There were three Finalists and Artists Selected for the Virtual Merit Exhibition in addition to the chosen Winner.

Click here to view our 2024 Kite Prize Awardees.

About the Organization

Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC (APAA) was established to provide visibility and creative services for artists and enhance professional recognition to artists who are committed to a successful art career. APAA provides legacy planning, art advising, and a digital archiving platform for artists at all stages of their artistic journey. The Advisory helps to promote visual artists and offers individual contemporary art prizes on an annual basis including an unrestricted cash award to enable artists to further pursue their art.

Amie Potsic is the CEO and Principal of Amie Potsic Art Advisory LLC, Host of the Art Watch Radio Podcast, as well as an established photographer and installation artist. Ms. Potsic provides exceptional advisory services for artists, collectors, and institutions. With over 20 years of experience in the field, a Master’s in Fine Art, and comprehensive training to be a Fine Art Appraiser, she has a uniquely nuanced understanding of the art market, creative development, and collections management. Potsic received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and BA’s in Photojournalism and English Literature from Indiana University, graduating with distinguished honors and Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a graduate of the Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP) of the Appraisers Association of American in New York and is USPAP compliant. She has held faculty appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohlone College, and the San Francisco Art Institute and been a guest lecturer at the International Center of Photography, the University of the Arts, Tyler School of Art, and the Delaware Contemporary.

Professional appointments have included Director of Gallery 339, Curator and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), and Executive Director & Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center. Curatorial projects have included exhibitions for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia, Philagrafika, The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Rowan University Art Gallery, Main Line Art Center, Maryland Art Place, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION﻿

2024 Kite Prize for Contemporary ArtWinner & FINALISTS

Grand prize winner

darya fard

finalists

Marianne MccarthyMiya HannanAleksandra scepanovic

2024 grand prize winner

darya fard

FInalists

PRESS

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

2024 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

Winner & FINALISTS

Marianne Mccarthy

Miya Hannan

Aleksandra scepanovic