UK New Artist Competition Announces Shortlisted Artists for Award

Mnḗme by Maayan-Sophia Weisstub is one of the works shortlisted for the UK New Artist competition

ART NEWS : The UK New Artist Competition attracts entries from across the United Kingdom every year. There is high expectation and anxiety about who will win this year’s art contest from the 10 shortlisted artists.

BY KAZAD

UNITED KINGDOM – The Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the year has announced the top 10 artists for this year’s award. The 10 artists on the shortlist are from a record-breaking 963 submissions from young artists across the UK. Entries include paintings, sculptures, ceramics, installations and mixed media works.

The work of the shortlisted artists will go on display on Thursday, November 4, 2021,at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London. This is when the winners of the UK New Artist competition will be announced. The overall winner will get a £10,000 cash prize while the runner-up will receive a cash prize of £5,000 to go towards the development of the artists’ future career in the industry.

Shortlisted Artists for the Art Award

The 2021 finalists are Jukka Virkkunen (London), Molly Kent (Edinburgh), Lucy Gregory (London), and Aimee Melaugh (Derry). Others are Sam Tahmassebi (London), Wesley George (London), Jarvis Brookfield (Leicester), and Anne von Freyburg (London). There is also Maayan Sophia Weisstub (London) and Catriona Robertson (London).

The objective of the annual art award is to discover and support exceptional artists who are representative of contemporary Britain. To achieve that purpose, three leading organizations, Robert Walters Group, UK New Artist, and Saatchi Gallery, are working together to help provide a career springboard for emerging artists.

Judges for this year’s art contest included Robert Walters, art enthusiast, collector and CEO of Robert Walters Group; Michael Forbes, artist and chair of Primary and Conor Rogers, artist and winner of the 2019 award. Others included Cindy Sissokho, Curator at New Art Exchange and Associate Curator of Casablanca Biennale; Michelle Bowen, Director of UK New Artists; and Paul Foster, Interim Gallery Director of Saatchi Gallery

In judging the works, the judges examined global art issues and how artists are responding to the turbulent and trialing time that has encompassed the world in their works. Working within the parameters of “Where do we go from here? Is there to be a ‘new normal,” competition judges keenly analyzed how the artists were responding to topical issues like relationships and the existential impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Art Contest Judges Focused on Contemporary Issues

It is not unusual that the judges focused on the issues relevant to today’s experiences and how artists are responding them in their works. In 2020, the UK New Artist competition was canceled because of the ravaging Covid-19. As expected, the return of the competition generated great excitement among artists and art professionals. “The results from this year have been outstanding, and to see a 96% increase in the number of entries compared to 2019 is testament to why this award is so important,” noted Robert Walters, CEO of Robert Walters Group.

Helping Next Generation of Exceptional UK Artists

Walters and other supporters of the art competition are optimistic about the impact of the award on the UK’s young artists. “We truly believe it will help launch the careers of the next generation of exceptional UK artists,” he said.

Michelle Bowen, Director, UK New Artists shares Robert Walters’ sentiments. “We are proud to be able to share these fantastic artists’ work with new audiences. This award offers such an important platform for emerging artists and shines a light on the incredible work being made in the UK today,” he said

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Paul Foster, Interim Gallery Director of Saatchi Gallery, sees the UK New Artist competition as a platform for emerging young artists:

“The award is an important platform in developing the careers of the UK’s diverse young talent and gives artists the opportunity to present their work to a wider audience, aligning with our charity mission to make contemporary art accessible to all.”

The awards ceremony and shortlist exhibition at Saatchi Gallery will be curated by Garth Gratrix. He is an international artist, curator and studio director based in the northwest. Gratrix’ work often showcases cross-disciplinary practices in diverse and unique settings.