Young Sculptor Award 2025 Laureates Announced

NSPN 20225 lauretes. Photo by Priit Mürk / ERR

The EKA Department of Installation and Sculpture announced the Young Sculptor Award laureates on Friday. The first prize was awarded to EKA Craft Studies Master’s student Kati Saarits and EKA Contemporary Art Master Katariin Mudist. Second and third place went to EKA Contemporary Art Master’s students Jake Shepherd and Yvette Bathgate, respectively. The Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2025 opened at the EKA on February 28, 2025. The winner of the Young Sculptor Award 2025 was announced at the opening of the exhibition. For the first time in the history of the award, the first place was shared between two artists. Kati Saarits, who graduated from sculpture studies at the EKA ten years ago and has now moved more towards applied art, was very surprised by the award. “My practice focuses most on table settings and tableware, the kitchen space in general, various customs, traditions and heritage. Greater attention is also paid to local heritage in the field of ceramics. This particular work is more focused on kitchen textiles, the techniques are all based on instructions from Soviet-era home magazines,” said Saarits. The works of the laureate and the exhibition were selected by a five-member jury independent of the organizers, consisting of Junny Yeung, Marika Agu, Sigrid Viir, Uku Sepsivart and Sandra Ernits. The exhibition jury selected 16 works from the 31 works submitted to the award exhibition competition. The 1st place winner of the award will receive a residency at the Vaskjala Creative Residency. The exhibition also features Bob Bicknell-Knight, Aurelia Grace Talmon, Liisa-Lota Jõeleht, Uku Jürgenson, Denis Kudrjašov, Nele Kurvits, Daniil Musesovs, Rosa-Maria Nuutinen, Sonja Sutt, Lea Joakim Svendby, Lume Tuum and Elo Vahtrik. According to Taavi Talve, head of the Department of Installation and Sculpture at the Estonian Academy of Arts, young people are increasingly daring to take risks and experiment every year. “The strength of this exhibition format is that since we have neither a curatorial nor a thematic exhibition, but works selected through an open competition, the exhibition represents the broadest possible range of young artists’ thinking, different perspectives and their implementation in sculpture. There are certainly many young sculptors and more, and every year there are more and more good sculptors who are left out due to lack of space,” Talve told “Aktuaalne kaamera”. The Young Sculptor Award, which has been awarded since 2012, and the accompanying exhibition aim to highlight and recognize the professional work of young artists working in sculpture and installation. Previous recipients of the Young Sculptor Award have been Hanna Piksarv, Sten Saarits, Anna Mari Liivrand, Johannes Valdma, Rosa Violetta Grötsch, Johannes Luik, Siim Elmers, Sarah Nõmm, Junny Yeung and Mara Kirchberg and Sandra Ernits. The exhibition is open until March 9. Sources: ERR and EKA Installation and Sculpture Department.

NSPN 20225 lauretes. Photo by Priit Mürk / ERR

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