MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS.- On 23 September 2006, the prestigious ‘ B.A.C.A. 2006 Europe' prize was presented to Bethan Huws (1961 Bangor, Wales) by chairman of the jury María de Corral. The prize consists of a sum of € 50,000, an oeuvre catalogue and an exhibition is being held in the Bonnefantenmuseum through January 14, 2007.

Jury Report Bethan Huws: “The first language of Bethan Huws is Welsh. Her second language is English. She is now living in Paris. These clues from her biography already indicate the central aspect of her manifold work: translation in the broadest sense of the word. Translations from one language to another, translations between different cultures, translations from experiences into concepts and vice versa. Based on a very personal understanding of conceptual art she developed a complex body of work ranging from discreet interventions in given spaces to watercolours, from sculptures and found objects to textual works of various kinds to 35 mm films. In all of her work, a profound reflection on art itself is combined with a very concrete and personal approach to the social nature of man. Her work is full of surprising turns and a good sense of humour as well”.

Exhibition: Huws' first museum retrospective of works from the period 1988-2006 opens with an ‘Introduction room'. The works in this room are diverse in character and come from different periods. There are watercolours, handwritten texts, so-called Word-vitrines and photographic works. Following this are rooms with small sculptures, films and ready-mades, with each room focusing on one particular theme or aspect of her work. The exhibition shows that Huws' ideas originally assume the form of concrete spatial interventions but that she soon discovers the potential of language for her work.

B.A.C.A. 2006 Europe: B.A.C.A ( Biennial Award for Contemporary Art) is the new name for the biennial art prize awarded by Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht to a visual artist. As in previous years, the B.A.C.A. 2006 will be awarded to an artist from Europe. The award is intended as an incentive for artists between the age of 35 and 45 whose work has proved influential in the current discourse on contemporary art.

B.A.C.A. Europe is sponsored by Océ N.V and supported by the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht. Jury 2006: María de Corral, (chairman); Pawel Althamer, winner of The Vincent 2004; Charles Esche, director Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; dr. Julian Heynen, director K21, Düsseldorf; Alexander van Grevenstein, director Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (non-voting member).