About a decade ago, Deutsche Bank initiated the Artist of the Year program. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary it is now for the first time awarding three artists at the same time: Maxwell Alexandre, Conny Maier, and Zhang Xu Zhan. What all three have in common is that they came to contemporary art via unusual paths and bring very specific life experiences and cultural influences with them. Maxwell Alexandre was born in Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, where he still lives today. The paintings and installations of the artist of African descent revolve around community and violence, hip-hop and spirituality. Conny Maier lives and works in Berlin and Portugal and is one of the most important discoveries in the current German painting scene. Maier’s art reflects a world shaped by representation and materialism, in which people seem to lose control. Zhang Xu Zhan was born in 1988 into a family that has been making and trading in traditional paper figurines for over a century. His stop-motion films, staged in immersive installations, take us into the realm of nature spirits and demons. With translations of the text about the work of Maxwell Alexandre in Brazilian Portuguese, with translation of the text about the work of Conny Maier in German and with a translation of the text about the work of Zhang Xu Zhan in Chinese. Text in English, Portuguese, Chinese and German.

The transition from the analogue to the digital age has radically changed our present. The global flow of data shapes social systems, but the circulation and processing of data does not seem to be linked to the reality of our lives. As Deutsche Bank's 'Artist of the Year', young Lebanese artist Caline Aoun (*1983) reveals how data manifests itself materially and how inseparable the real and the virtual world have become. For her, the permanent flood of images and data resembles 'noise' that dominates our lives. Instead of further intensifying this media noise, she lends it a material dimension in order to create new experiences, forms of silence, and empty spaces, and to show otherwise scarcely tangible connections. Text in English and German.

In dem Buch Hainan-Berlin-St. Ives, Connecting the World, ist ein Querschnitt Burks Bilder der letzten zwanzig Jahre zu finden. In ihm setzt er sich ebenfalls kritisch mit der zeitgen ssischen Kunst auseinander, wobei auf sein im Fr hjahr 2008 erscheinendes Buch The Roots of Painting hingewiesen wird. Es soll aber vor allem auch ber Hainan Island hinaus eine Br cke zu jenen Orten verschiedenster Charakteristik und Welten bieten, mit denen Burk ebenfalls viele Jahre vertraut ist oder dort arbeitet. Ebenfalls in Burk-Edition ver ffentlicht wurde der Bildband Faces of War. ISBN 978-3-8370-7252-5

Der Bildband Faces of War wurde anl sslich der Zeremonien 60 Jahre nach Ende des II.Weltkrieges in Hainan Island, China erstellt. Ziel und Absicht ist, die allt glichen Geschehen des Krieges in einem klaren und schlichten Stil widerzugeben. Geschehen, die Menschen berall treffen, dort wo Krieg auf der Welt ist und sie dessen Opfer werden. Der Bildband wurde in einer Erstauflage von 50.000 St ck vor allem an Schulen und Colleges gegeben.

From church-sponsored arts festivals to religious protests outside museums, religion and art often interact as dynamic forces in American life. Now, following up on a fascinating series of dialogues among artists, religious leaders, journalists, and scholars, an interdisciplinary group of distinguished thinkers investigates this complex relationship, looking for common ground and opportunities for cooperation between the arts and religion in America.

"Crossroads" goes beyond media hype to explain both the historical roots and current realities of the ways people understand art and religion in their daily lives, and it places the sensational controversies into context, from an examination of the Brooklyn Museum protest to a conversation with leading artists about spirituality in their work. Featuring a preface by Garry Wills, "Crossroads" brings art and religion in American life--past, present, and future--into sharper focus.

Contributors include: Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University David Halle, University of California, Los Angeles Neil Harris, University of Chicago Peter Marsden, Harvard University Sally Promey, University of Maryland Amei Wallach, International Association of Art Critics Robert Wuthnow, Princeton University

The UK's export controls of objects of cultural interest are aimed to strike a balance between the need to protect the heritage, the rights of owners and the encouragement of a thriving art market. This is the fourt annual report on the operation of export controls on objects of cultural interest which covers the period 1 May 2007 to 30 April, 2008. As well as the Reviewing Committee report, it includes descriptions of 18 individual export cases.

The UK's export controls of objects of cultural interest are aimed to strike a balance between the need to protect the heritage, the rights of owners and the encouragement of a thriving art market. This is the seventh annual report on the operation of export controls on objects of cultural interest which covers the period 1 May 2010 to 30 April 2011. As well as the Reviewing Committee report, it includes descriptions of individual export cases that were referred to the Committee by expert advisors.