oss Sinclair has devoted his installation to St. Kilda, an island at the end of the world, which was cut off from civilisation for over a thousand years before becoming the most remote outpost of the United Kingdom. No longer able to subsist, the few remaining inhabitants were evacuated in 1930. Sinclair has drawn this infinitely remote "other place" into the present again. In suggestive black-and-white pictures, historical documents, fragments of Scottish folklore and a room-sized installation where viewers encounter both comforting security and oppressive isolation, the artist has created a place that evokes the past, imparts a sense of loss and hints at a potential utopia. Through a lifelong devotion to his project Real Life, Ross Sinclair occupies an outstanding position in an art world that is always threatening to succumb to the short-lived moment. Sinclair makes art that is related to the world and engaged in a dialogue with it.

In addition to the cash prize, Baloise acquires works by the award winners and donates them to two important European museums. The work of Ross Sinclair was presented to the collection of the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

The Agency Gallery, London

Jury members:
Maria de Corral, Director, Contemporary Art Collection, Fundación „La Caixa“, Barcelona and Madrid; Susanne Ghez, Director, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, and Co-Curator of the Documenta XI, Kassel; Christoph Heinrich, Curator of the Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburger Kunsthalle; Jan Hoet, Director, Stedelijk Museum Voor Actuele Kunst, Gent and Martin Schwander, Fine Art Advisor of the Bâloise, Chairman of the jury.