
Photo credit: Photo credit: Sebastien Valiela / Bestimage

Photo credit: Photo credit: Sebastien Valiela / Bestimage
Laurence JENKELL's acceptance speech:
(…) This is a recognition that goes straight to my heart, this beautiful medal. (…) I never imagined such a moment. It is somewhere like a little consecration, at least a real recognition, that is certain! (…) A revenge and a snook. It is true that it suits me quite well because I am still a rather rebellious woman and my subject of the moment, I really wore it alone. I imposed it all over the world. (…) It was a real test.
Candy is so much a subject that goes in my deepest self, as you rightly said, I had been deprived of it during my childhood. But I think we all have a very special relationship with candies.
So for me, it was a deprivation. Why? I never really understood. Nevertheless, it is the reality and I r suffered from it. And Mom took a great pleasure in taking me to the dentist who showed me super decayed teeth. I had nightmares as a child. Well, it was pretty dramatic and tragic.
So this subject of candy, I carried it all around the world and I realized that everywhere, precisely, internationally, that subject that is present in all the countries of the world, everyone has a special relationship with it. And from a simple everyday object, to manage to carry it on the scene of International Art, it is somewhere something quite strong in itself.
Candy, certainly it was initially thought to be a decorative object, but I proved that it was not at all a decorative object. (…) They are all different. They are unique pieces each time (..) and a unique twist.
(..) There is something very strong that emerges from this Candy and especially from the twist. It is important to know that it is not only the Candy at the end, it is the twist in itself that is my favorite subject. And it is this twist that I export today throughout the world. It is also a strong subject, a rebellion in relation to subject of society that touches me deeply: Topics on the environment, on the consumer society, on violence against women. By the way, we have an event about violence against women taking place today. That is true that by this twist, I can express myself and I believe that it will go very, very far. Above all the Candy made me known internationally but the twist is a gateway to new horizons.