Against the uncertainty and malaise of today’s world, the work of this year’s graduates is like a splash of water to the face – fresh, invigorating, and hopeful. Every featured artist has weaved personal and cultural narratives into new forms to be reckoned with. From questioning identity in the digital age, to exploring memory and social connection, these works touch on some of the most prescient themes playing out in our lives today.
The range of painting techniques on show reveal just how much these artists are pushing and finessing their practice. For example, Ashley Chadwick’s scrupulous use of acrylic enables his depth-reversal optical illusions to move before our eyes. Or look to Grace Hubbard-Smith, who layers thin washes of acrylic to make her window studies burn pale with luminosity. Oils, too, have been expertly put into effect – Alice Miller’s photorealist techniques capture fleeting moments, whilst Julia Pomeroy’s interior scenes are composed with an eerie stillness.
Beyond painting, practitioners have also formed new pathways into the oldest of craft techniques: from tapestry to wood carving, works grapple with what it means to make a craft more accessible to those historically kept out. This is especially visible in Annie Graham’s playful and refined sculptural woodwork. Molly Kent also turns to rug tufting with similar aims, making acid coloured, amoeba-like forms that shift our link of handicraft to domesticity. Danbin Cao’s line-thread paintings also explore the uncontrollability of fabrics, where intimate scenes unexpectedly come into fruition.
Explore all 2020 graduate artwork here and you’ll find the work of dedicated artists creatively responding to our most unwieldly contemporary questions. However, don’t always expect a definitive answer. Each piece invites us to embrace a challenge and think more openly, like the artists themselves, forging unique styles against all odds. Read more about what specific qualities we look for in emerging artists here