Marko Mäetamm won the Baltic Assembly Prize

On Friday, 16 October, at the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, an international jury assessed the candidates for the annual Baltic Assembly Prize and determined that Prize for the Arts in 2009 should be awarded to Estonian artist Marko Mäetamm.

Marko Mäetamm was recognised as the winner for his highly professional and successful exhibitions, as well as achievements during recent years in the arts. The decision was unanimous. The Joint Judging Committee noted that his works urge the audience to think about human values during a hard period in the economy when our lives are to great extent ruled by bank loans. “Life itself in its trivial cynicism can startle you more than the arts. The essence of his art is the question: How come human life started to equal to life-long bank loan?” said Johannes Saar, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Judging Committee from Estonia.

The Prize for Literature was awarded to novelist Inga Ābele and the Prize for Science was awarded to Leonardas Sauka, a folklore researcher from Lithuania.

Peeter Mudist, Jaan Toomik and Andres Tali have been among those Estonian artists who have won the Baltic Assembly prize in the past. Marko Mäetamm was set up as a candidate by the Center for Contemporary Arts, Estonia.

The Joint Judging Committee consisted of nine experts in literature, arts and science from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. The annual Baltic Assembly Prize exists since 1993 for promoting active regional cooperation and enhancing cultural relations in the region.