Praemium Imperiale

The UK has done well out of the Japan Art Association's Praemium Imperiale awards for 2011, which were announced in London at Claridge’s Hotel in the presence of Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi. The ceremony was followed by a reception in Buckingham Palace, given by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Laureates are:
Bill Viola (USA) Painting
Anish Kapoor (UK) Sculpture
Ricardo Legorreta (Mexico) Architecture
Seiji Ozawa (Japan) Music
Judi Dench (UK) Theatre/Film.
In addition, the 2011 Grant for Young Artists went to:
Southbank Sinfonia (UK)
The Royal Court Young Writers Programme (UK).
Above is Bill Viola's Emergence 2002, a rear projected video installation; photo by Kira Perov. Usually I dismiss video installations as a load of tripe, but this one looks very artistic, even balletic. Click the title link for the Praemium Imperiale website. It is a slow loader.