Jose Luis “Koqui” Handal, was born in La Paz, Bolivia in 1961.
His passion for art was evident from an early age, and it was in 1997 that he assembled his first
workshop. Here he gave life to clay, accomplishing extraordinary ceramic artworks.
Entirely self-taught, in 2005, he ventured into painting, and since then, he has taken part in national and
international exhibitions.
His constant drive and curiosity led him to sculpt with ceramics, bronze and steel.
Today, his art is on permanent display in La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Buenos Aires, Argentina;
and the United States of America.

Can you tell us about the moment you decided to pursue a career as an artist?

From childhood, I have been drawing and painting, but didn’t think to become an artist until I finished secondary school. From the age of 11, I was writing poems and was thinking about a writer or journalist’s career. But the circumstances ruined all my plans, I moved to another city there and I met a lot of musicians, painters and poets. My best friend was an artist she encouraged me to paint and I gradually immersed myself in the world of forms and colours. I finished Kaunas A.Martinaitis Art School with the strong desire to become a painter. Later I continued my studies at the Art Academy and I still learning and discovering something new in the field of visual art.

KIYORA is a Paper-cutting artist.
Born in Japan, where she graduated in Architecture.
This influenced the structure of her compositions, proportions and line.
Kiyora’s detailed works aim to depict the changing pockets of energy that make up our universe.
Through bold monochromatic contradictions, the compositions express light and dark, movement and stillness-using paper as a plane or representation and an outlet for creative expression, a source of energy in its own right, Kiyora is based in Japan.
Her artworks have been exhibited in Tokyo, NY and London.

Hungarian-born artist Tibor Simon-Mazula works intuitively, taking refuge in the physical and tactile aspects of painting. He draws upon his background in mathematics, filmmaking, and cinematography to create dream-like scenes. His oil paintings incorporate materials such as bone ash, marble dust, and alum.

Rebecca Wilkinson (Bex) was born in Chicago, Illinois, to parents who were avid art collectors. Her childhood was spent surrounded by works by The Hairy Who (1966-69), and Surrealists such as Paul Delvaux & Joan Miro, as well as artists without quite as much recognition like Maryan (1927-1977.) Her parents also collected local Chicago and New York artists such as Seymour Rosofsky (1924-1981,) Leon Golub (1922-2004,) and Irving Petlin (1934-2018) who also influenced her work. At six years old, Bex boldly declared that it was an ‘artist's life for her,’ told her parents that she would become a painter, and wanted to paint the living room ceiling purple with pink polka dots! She understood, even then, the paramount importance of art in the world.

Riitta Hellén-Vuoti (b. 1959) is a Finnish artist, living and working in Kuopio, Finland. By education, she is a licensed medical specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. She has been artistic since her youth and started dedicating more time to painting and poetry around the year 2000.

What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?

I overcame the societal compulsion to "work until retirement, then there's free time" by leaving the secure working life. My partner, who has been by my side for several years, believes in me and my talent. This has strengthened my self-confidence and enabled me to develop my work as an artist.

Klaus Biliczky. Born in Dinkelsbühl, Germany's most beautiful old town (according to Focus). Resident in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria.
Professional activity as a graphic designer, product developer and manager in the packaging industry. Self-employed in the real estate industry. Artistic work since his youth. The artistic education was mostly self-taught. Freelance and award-winning visual artist whose works have been shown in numerous exhibitions, nationally and internationally.

Contemporary Art Curator Magazine is delighted to present the Voices of Tomorrow Art Award.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

I would like to call myself a colorist and a transformational painter.

Nature is my primary source of inspiration. Painting for me is a meditative state of being, where I connect to the elements and the rhythm of nature, weaving dreams and visions into my artwork. My intention as an artist is to be able to communicate that all things are connected with one another and to the universe. The interconnectedness of all things in nature represents a deep unity within myself. My hope is to inspire the viewer.