Meet Antrea Tzourovits – The Hari Art Prize 2022 Winner

When I applied for the prize it was just in the period that I was preparing my degree show at Slade. It was a quite intense and stressful period. I had no idea what was going to be next and I was quite nervous about the life after my studies.

My willing was to find a way to be able to establish myself as a London based artist. When I heard about the prize through a UCL mail and when I saw the cash prize and the people who was on the judging panel, I immediately thought that this could be a great opportunity for my work to be seen in London and hopefully in Hong Kong and make my attempt to stay in London easier. Also, the opportunity for the two runners up to become the next Artists in Residence based at The Hari seemed quite tempting.

From the beginning the whole process was smooth and simple. The process of applying was easy and the communication with the team from A Space For Art was wonderful and helpful. The exhibition at The Hari Hotel was great and well curated. I really enjoyed the awards ceremony, it was truly a warm and marvelous event. The Hari Hotel team were amazing and very hospitable hosts. Also, it was great to meet some of the other artists, A Space For Art, the judges and other guests.

The wining piece that I presented at the Hari hotel is part of a project that I presented at my degree show at Slade School of Fine Art and I am still working on. The premise of this project stems from my childhood moving from Serbia Montenegro to Greece during the conflict in 1999. The work is influenced by the impact of war and the specific events I experienced during this period.

I want to capture my own memories to convey my own story and how I honestly remember it both as a war refugee and artist working today. One such event I will try to shortly describe below.

In 1998 the world basketball championship took place in Athens, Greece. It was the first time I realised how popular this sport was in the country. At eleven years old, I was actively watching and supporting my home team at an international sports event. The Yugoslavia’s team became the champions of the tournament. It was a historic win with endless celebrations throughout the region. However, the bright occasion is scarred by the events which followed and are firmly ingrained on my mind. Just a few months later, USA and NATO launched airstrike bombings on the country. I remember the loud and scattered sounds of the war sirens, the bombers coming erratically through space and time, and the terrifying wait for, if, where and when the next bomb will drop. The experience of the basketball tournament and living in a catastrophic war zone are recorded as one combined memory which is part of my own poetic narrative.