Aleksandra Mir links into a wide variety of social processes. Her works are exercises in the province of daily life, and for each of them, she devises a new, distinctive procedure. For her project The Big Umbrella, she constructed a gigantic, fully functional umbrella, which was large enough for 16 people. Equipped with this oversized item, she travelled to various cities and gathered experience -- not only on the weather but above all on fellowship, solidarity and isolation. In her actions, photographs, objects and documents, Aleksandra Mir humorously chronicles everyday life and cohabitation. Mir’s acts are infiltrations in the public space and range from waiting in line to walking about or posing in front of well-known monuments.

In addition to the cash prize, Baloise acquires a group of works by the award winners and donates them to two important European museums. The works of Aleksandra Mir were presented to the collection of the S.M.A.K. Gent, Belgium.

Jousse entreprise, Paris

Jury members:
Christian Boros, Collector, Wuppertal; Peter Doroshenko, Director, Stedelijk Museum Voor Actuele Kunst, Gent; Christoph Heinrich, Director of the Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburger Kunsthalle; Adam Szymczyk, Director of the Kunsthalle Basel and Martin Schwander, Fine Art Advisor of Baloise, Chairman of the jury.