Prize awarded by the jury composed of: Dara Friedman, Anna Królica and Marta Ziółek.
As of one of the first artists in Samara, Zoja Karnauchowa was active in the field of contemporary art. Her work was intuitive in nature due to “the Iron Curtain”, separating her from the world context. She probably was unfamiliar with the concept of performance, John Cage and his work 4.33. Despite the lack of relevant documentation, there exist numerous myths regarding her works. The stories of the witnesses to her actions were passed by the word of mouth, incorporating the Taoist idea according to which what is immaterial cannot be destroyed. The locals perceived her as mentally unstable. At 1956 New Year’s Eve, she put on a physically demanding performance piece, which, surprisingly (to the artist, above all) evoked wide interest. It was the first case in history when a piece of art became a miracle. As a result of lasting persecutions, Zoja Karnauchowa was forced to immigrate to Poland, where, according to some, she lives to this day.