Jakob Elias Meyer Wins Lyonel Kunstpreis 2026
Freie Kunst graduate Jakob Elias Meyer was awarded the Lyonel Kunstpreis 2026 on Friday 10 July 2026 for his work »Subsistenzprovisorium«. The Award, which comes with 2,000 euros in prize money, has been granted to artistic theses at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar since 2019. The »Lyonel-Verein zur Förderung von Kunst, Gestaltung und Kultur« (Lyonel e.V.) is a non-profit organisation that supports the promotion of art, design, and culture.
»We are delighted to unanimously present this year’s Lyonel Kunstpreis to Jakob Elias Meyer«, stated the jury of their decision. »Jakob Elias Meyer transforms efficiency-driven agricultural technology into intriguing forms that defy functionality. In doing so, he juxtaposes artisanal precision with industrial mass production. The resulting installations combine ready-made objects and handcrafted elements. His »Subsistenzprovisorium«, which is at once monumental and delicate, Meyer explores technologically mediated relationships between humans and the world.«
Agricultural motifs establish connections in Jakob Elias Meyer’s artistic work. By doing this, he refers to animals, land cultivation, construction, and constructive processes. Meyer draws on historical and modern craft techniques, experiments with the related materials, and develops new methods and structures from them.
A key concept for him is »Bauer«: Unlike the English term »Farmer«, the German emphasises not ownership, but the activity itself. For Meyer, the term combines two core aspects of his work: building as a constructive act, and a relationship to animals and the cultivation of the land.
A total of three graduates were nominated for the Award this year. All of the final projects, including Jakob Elias Meyer’s»Subsistenzprovisorium«, will be exhibited as part of a group exhibition for summaery2026 on Saturday, 11 July 2026 from 12 – 8 pm and Sunday, 12 July from 12 – 6 pm at Berkaer Straße 11.
Contact Jakob Elias Meyer:
www.jakobeliasmeyer.com
www.instagram.com/jakobeliasmeyer
Lyonel Kunstpreises 2026 Nominees:
Lilly Braatz, Fridtjof Knospe, Jakob Elias Meyer
Jurors:
Jennifer Braun aka GenZ Art Critic (art critic), Thomas Fischer (gallery owner from Berlin), and Hili Perlson (author and art critic)
The exhibition has been curated for a fifth time by a team from the »marke.6« student initiative. Artistic staff members Karla Zipfel and Florian Hesselbarth coordinated the event.
About the »Lyonel e.V.«:
The »Lyonel e.V.« is a non-profit organisation that supports the promotion of art, design, and culture. It was founded in 2019 by regional entrepreneurs led by Dr. Sebastian Händschke. Today, he runs it together with Constanze Roth, supporting Freie Kunst graduates and graduates from other artistic programmes. The Lyonel e.V. Awards the Lyonel Kunstpreis in cooperation with the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
www.lyonel-kunstpreis.de
E-mail: info[at]lyonel-kunstpreis.de
Questions can be directed to Romy Weinhold, Press and Public Relations Officer for the Faculty of Art and Design by e-mail at romy.weinhold[at]uni-weimar.de.