Meet the Jury
Guest of Honour
Kendell Geers
Employing a wide range of references — from the realms of history of art, pornography, iconography and kitsch — Kendell Geers questions artistic value and mocks the notion of originality. His work reveals razor-sharp humour that plays with the viewer’s repulsion and ridicules racial or religious stereotypes. Kendell Geers was born in South Africa and now lives and works in Brussels. At the 1993 Venice Biennale he officially changed his date of birth to May 1968, a momentous year in world history for human liberation and equality. Geers creates work that aims to disrupt commonly accepted moral codes and principles. Laden with complex and deep political implications, it is challenging and confrontational. At the same time, Geers’ minimalist aesthetics generate a subtle poetic undertone. His use of language, ready-mades, neon, glass, icons, film, chevron tape and other objects confront the viewer head on. They often startle the eye and require a degree of interrogation from the spectator.
Sophie Clauwaert
Category Manager for Modern Art at Catawiki
Sophie Clauwaert obtained her Masters degree in Art History in Brussels, and then completed her education with a second Masters in Fine and Decorative Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London in 2007. During these years, she specialised in Old Master Paintings, but also gained a strong understanding of art and antiques in general.
After successfully completing internships at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) and Sotheby’s (Paris), she decided to start her own business and launched ArtExpert in 2008. An ACAF jury veteran, she now serves as the Category Manager for Modern Art at Catawiki.
Heidi Ukkonen
Artist
Swedish painter Heidi Ukkonen explores through her paintings themes of the mundane such as relationships, anguish, and suffering. These depictions are represented through playfully deformed animations within the life of modern society.
Her works are built using materials such as acrylic, oil paint, and spray paint which adds and builds texture to her works. Most of her inspiration derives from her life living in the vibrant city of Antwerp where she has worked since graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Dr. Rose Vickers
Curatorial Director for Arthur
Dr. Rose Vickers (b. 1984, Newcastle, Australia) is a US-based curator, speaker, and art historian focused on innovative outcomes for digital and real-world projects. She is the Curatorial Director for Arthur, where she oversees teams creating engaging and directed online content, connecting artists, curators, and collectors in meaningful and scalable ways.
Always looking to initiate positive and surprising ways of experiencing art, Rose is motivated by collaborative partnerships, inspiring new content, and the expanding possibilities offered by digital developments.
