Keeping it real..

I saw an Instagram post recently – a photograph of the contents of a fallen packet of spaghetti. The strands of pasta had landed in a wigwam-shaped pile and the caption joked that the results had awarded him an Art MFA. It made me chuckle – especially as degree show season is about to start and it can be a bit of a challenge to identify the work that’s on show (is that fire extinguisher a fire protection device.. or an artwork..?). In some ways I quite enjoy a challenge to my visual assumptions, though today our focus is on the realists amongst us. Emerging artists working under the loose umbrella of Contemporary Realism, demonstrating technical ability, together with a unique vision.

Wait by Phoebe Hardwick, £300