2015 was the first year of the Freedom Flowers Foundation Award. We have received over 100 artwork submissions from all over the world and are very grateful for all the efforts and enthusiasm we witnessed during the submission process.

1^st prize winners: Sampson Wong and Jason Lam
(CHF 2,500 and a signed copy of the TASCHEN book on Ai Weiwei)

Stand by you: add oil machine by Hong Kong artists Sampson Wong and Jason Lam. The “add oil machine” was an installation of an LED screen and an overhead projector connected receiving messages from global supporters of the Occupy Hong Kong Movement projecting these on the Hong Kong government building during the protests enabling anyone to communicate freely to the community.
See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgSw-jTD3Qg



2^nd prize winner: Alexandra Handal (CHF 2,000)

Jerusalem/London-based Palestinian artist Alexandra Handal with her web-based art work Dream Homes Property Consultants (DHPC)
( http://dreamhomespropertyconsultants.com/ ) Expropriated Palestinian houses are ironically repackaged on the Israeli real estate market as 'Arab-style'. Their factual history is concealed behind this architectural euphemism. Taking the form of an on-line estate agency, this web documentary art revisits the individual history of these homes, uncovering Palestinian stories of displacement, dispossession and cultural cleansing from West Jerusalem. Built over the course of six years, DHPC delves into the memories of 28 Palestinian refugees and exiles, creating a labyrinthine space where personal tales of abrupt goodbyes, impossible reunions and suspended dreams are conveyed with a tragicomic edge. The 18 homes featured under 'Hot Properties' are each referred to by a tongue-in-cheek listing such as: 'One-of-a-Kind Arab-style House, Dead End Street' and 'Magnificent Arab-style House, A Great Catch'. Directions on how to reach a particular property are not given by current official street names, but through the description of landmarks and other familiar points that allude to a torn social fabric. The eradication of this universe finds expression in animated advertisements of barbershops and shoemakers that no longer exist or through Internet response status codes, such as 'not found'. Using diverse storytelling genres with different modes of narration, DHPC patiently and meticulously pieces together a world that was shattered in 1948.


2^nd prize winner (same score): Sander van Bussel (CHF 2,000)

Dutch artist Sander van Bussel’s Human Rights Tattoo Project which is an art project to create awareness and underline the importance of Human Rights. “Our goal is to tattoo the complete Declaration of Human Rights on individuals, letter by letter. The complete text of the Declaration contains 6773 letters. Each person gets one character. This means that in the end, there is a group of 6773 people from all around the world walking together with the complete text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This means that in the end a community of 6773 people from all around the world walking together with the complete Declaration of Human Rights under their skin. Human Rights Tattoo is founded by artist and Tilburg Cowboy, Sander van Bussel. The Tilburg Cowboys are known for their social innovative concepts in the field of community art, performance and cultural events for which they received critical acclaim since 2001. The concept of tattooing the Declaration of Human Rights was triggered by the murder of befriended Kenyan activist Steven ‘Nyash’ Nyagah in 2012. The aim of Human Rights Tattoo is to connect people on a human level and on a worldwide scale. By tattooing this text on a group of 6773 people around the world, we are creating a living work of art. Connecting these people as one; one in what they believe in, one in what they stand for and one in the way that every letter counts equally. This makes Human Rights Tattoo a community artwork in its purest sense; created with, for and by the community. The idea of Human Rights Tattoo is simple and understandable for everyone. However, it provokes a challenging question; are you willing to commit yourself to these rights, being remembered by your tattoo daily, and having to tell about your tattoo and Human Rights for the rest of your life? At this moment we have tattooed 2310 of 6773 letters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Kindly also see www.humanrightstattoo.org and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouADW84Cp3I



A big congrats also to the other top ten nominees: Bruce Clarke, Rudy, Mohammad Amin Rashedi, Daniel Schweizer, Zahra Khadem Shariat, Holger Streetz, MaoTongqiang, Lorena Wolffer!

Darshana Towakel from the FFF
Manuel Salvisberg from the FFF
Isabelle Gattiker, director of the FIFDH
Leo Kanemann, founder of the FIFDH
Peter G. Kirchschlaeger, academic in the field of human rights
An anonymous member from the Chinese art scene


Impressions from the 2015 FFFA ceremony during the www.fifdh.org