KP Prize 2025 of DKK 10,000, a donation by Aarhuus Stiftstidendes Fond, is awarded to
Marek Ranis
for the video
Like Shishmaref
The award winner has been selected by a jury consisting of visual artists Bodil Sohn, Jesper Rasmussen and Pia Möller-Light (chairperson of KP) ernille Lærke Andersen (KP's board), and they justify the awarding with following words:
In the 16-minute-long video Like Shishmaref, Marek Ranis compiles footage from two American island communities, both of which have undergone drastic changes and are threatened by climate change: the human-deserted village of Shishmaref, located on an island in the Bering Strait in northern Alaska, and the overwhelmed resort area of the Outer Banks, consisting of a long chain of islands off the coast of North Carolina.
Although the two island communities are very different and are separated by over 7000 kilometers in entirely different climate zones, their environmental challenges and transformations are strikingly similar.
Marek Ranis demonstrates the uniform, climatic landscape changes by continuously juxtaposing footage from the two locations into a fascinating and visually striking video.
There are no words or spoken commentary, no explanations—only images that speak for themselves. Visual art in its own right.
There are also no moralistic finger-wagging or bombastic proclamations to steer the viewer in a particular direction or to standardize the experience; instead, it offers a poetic, sensual stream of images open to various interpretations and reflections, as is the case with all good art.
The disturbing and destructive circumstances brought about by the dramatic climate changes are thus portrayed in a very understated and discreet manner, making the video a powerful artistic experience.
Congratulations to Marek Ranis on winning the KP Prize 2025!
>> Marek Ranis's website
Below some stills from Like Shismaref
