Maria Fabricius-Wendt (born in 1994 in Bad Salzungen; currently living and working in Weimar) uses her drawings and sculptures to explore realities as they are experienced by the individual, particularly in relation to faith and the associated effects on perception of the world. She examines themes from the fields of sociology, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies, combining them with autobiographical elements in her work and creating a unique mythology.

During the awards ceremony, the three jurors recognised that each of the nominated artists created outstanding works and exhibited them in a cohesive way. The four nominated artistic pieces all shared the fact that they placed people as social beings at the centre of the discussion. »One artistic cosmos, however, radiated especially brightly«, explained Dr. Jenny Graser, reading out the joint jury statement. »Maria Fabricius-Wendt’s carefully selected complexity of material made her drawings and sculptures particularly convincing. Based on her own personal experience, but also reaching far beyond it, the artist reflects on themes such as domestic violence, the relationship between perpetrator and victim, and the deconstruction of these relationships. She focusses on blurred boundaries and created her own individual images beyond the obvious, thus making the spaces between private and public, and truth and lies tangible. Her work is also permeated by the exploration of opposites: the delicate, fragile and intimate on the one hand and the dark, brutal and hard on the other.« An essential prerequisite for a successful career as an artist is finding one’s own voice, which Maria Fabricius-Wendt has achieved to a particular degree.