On Campus News

Newly-created work by 3 finalists will be on exhibit in New York from July 8 - 27, 2011

(NEW YORK and MILAN) illy issimo - the ready-to-drink coffee-based beverage developed from a joint venture by illycaffe and The Coca-Cola Company (ILKO Coffee International) - announced the winner of the second edition of "AuthentiCity." Created in cooperation with the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, AuthentiCity is a photography project aimed at supporting emerging talent.

Facade is the title of Jessica's work, which uses faceless human bodies as an extension of urban structures. The work focuses on the fluidity of the body interacting with the rigidity of the city's infrastructure, fusing the two to create temporary pieces of public art. Jessica's work was considered by the jury particularly interesting and compelling in its unconventional use of human body in the urban space. Her response to the contest's theme offers a unique and poetic commentary on urban life and the ways in which we inhabit the city.

The jury panel - including representatives of ILKO Coffee International, illycaffe, SVA and Elisabeth Biondi, former visuals editor of The New Yorker - previously selected three finalists from over 200 applicants, all of whom were educated at SVA and were charged with "discovering new lifestyles in the urban context." The three finalists - Phil Kline, Jessica Miller and David Rapoport - were commissioned to create a new body of work for the exhibition on view in New York from July 8 to 27 at the SVA Gallery, 209 East 23 Street (Monday - Friday, 9am - 7pm, Saturday 10am - 6pm). Each finalist received a cash prize of $3000 while the winning photographer received an additional cash prize of $10,000.

The contest's theme - discovering new urban lifestyles - serves as an inspiration to use photography as a means of discovering new lifestyles, social dynamics and ways of interacting with the city.

The inaugural AuthentiCity contest was launched in 2010, with the goal of investigating the city, the ideal reference point for illy issimo, and "revealing purity and authenticity in urban life." The winner of the 2010 competition was SVA alumnus Igor Aronov (BFA 1997 Photography) for his photo series Reflection of the City.

Jessica Miller was born in Bangor, Maine in 1977. She began making photographs at a young age, and has always been fascinated with narrative images. She earned a BFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as a BA in Psychology from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. Jessica's work will be featured in the PDN Annual as well as in the Guggenheim Museum's Stillspotting project. Her work is also held in the permanent collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She is currently enrolled in the MFA Photography, Video and Related Media Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Resources:

http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

http://www.facebook.com/illyissimo

http://flickr.com/illyissimoglobal

http://www.youtube.com/illyissimocw