The award was conferred for the monograph "Odczarowanie talentu. Socjografia stawania się uznanym artystą" [Disenchanting Talent: The Sociography of Becoming a Recognised Artist]. The publication was recognised for its insightful, empirically based look at the process of "becoming" a recognised artist. It was based on hours of biographical narratives of "new classics" of contemporary visual arts from the 1990s and 2000s – figures such as Zbigniew Libera, Katarzyna Kozyra, Artur Żmijewski, Agata Bogacka and Wilhelm Sasnal. The book opens up new avenues for interpreting creative work, recognition and the mechanisms of artistic communities. It also proposes an innovative set of concepts and intellectual tools useful in analysing life histories, social worlds and the intellectual work involved in creating art.
While reviewing the book, eminent specialists underlined the "splendid mastery of the craft" and "impressive erudition, allowing for the freedom to draw on sociological and philosophical concepts" (dr hab. Małgorzata Jacyno, Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw). It is "a mature work, a testament to honest, reliable and thorough work, both empirical and theoretical" (dr hab. Andrzej W. Nowak, Institute of Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University). Moreover, "the book is much more readable than most standard sociological works" (dr hab. Joanna Wawrzyniak, Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw).
Dr Piotr Szenajch performs biographical and discursive research. He leads sociological seminars on art addressing the major issues of contemporary times, research and theories of racism, the mechanisms of radicalisation and the division of societies into extreme niches, as well as the history of social thought and the main lines of criticism in twentieth-century culture.
We would like to offer our congratulations and wish continued scientific success!
