New Blood Art – 2025 Artist Highlights
Over the past year, artists on New Blood Art have continued to build strong national and international profiles across exhibitions, awards, residencies, publications, and acquisitions. This New Year round-up brings together recent highlights at a point where artists are gaining recognition and work is still available to buy. Each of these artists has work available to purchase now.
Watch the video: Sarah talks through key artist highlights from 2025 →
Zuzanna Salamon was accepted into the biennial Figurativas exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, bringing together leading figurative artists from around the world. She was awarded the Florence Academy of Art Scholarship for her drawing I Weave Silence in My Hair II and will travel to Italy in summer 2026 to study at the academy. Earlier in the year, she received the Karin Walker Award for a Young Artist at the Society of Women Artists Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries, London. She was also awarded the Jerwood Residency at Edinburgh Printmakers, where she begins a residency in January focused on developing her intaglio printmaking practice.
Stephen Todd was selected for the Royal Watercolour Society Open Exhibition at Bankside and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London. He presented a solo exhibition, Inland – Outland, at Gallery at Salt in Beverley, and one of his paintings featured on the cover of Sean O’Brien’s poetry collection The Bonfire Party, published by Pan Macmillan. A further solo exhibition, And Quiet Flows the Don, is scheduled at Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, in May 2026.
Charlie Yates continued to develop his painting practice while completing the second year of his MFA at CalArts in Los Angeles. In early 2025, he presented his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, with 25 paintings shown over a two-month period. He also participated in a group exhibition with Blue Door Gallery in Brooklyn and was selected for Painting Since 2000, an online exhibition running through January 2026. His work has expanded into moving image, with paintings featured in a short film due for release in January 2026. His next solo exhibition opens in Los Angeles on 7 February 2026 and will present an entirely new body of work.
Margaret Ashman was awarded the Discerning Eye Print Prize 2025.
Canaan J. Brown – his painting Nomad acquired through New Blood Art by Phase 2 Exhibitions and subsequently added to the Arup Collection. He was also awarded a public art commission by The Place in Newport, Wales, to transform utility boxes and bike rails into artworks.
Orlanda Broom exhibited at Flowers at Saatchi Gallery and at the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. She also undertook a printmaking residency and exhibition in Mérida, Mexico, at Lux Perpetua and Casa Lo’ol.
Felicity Talman was awarded the Unison Colour Young Artist Award at the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2025. She began an MA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins (UAL), was selected as one of ten artists for the Young Welsh Artists Exhibition at MOMA Machynlleth, and was shortlisted for the VAA Art500 International Prize.
Laurie O’Dowd co-produced Biophilia, a duo exhibition with Freya Povlsen at Saltspace, Glasgow, exploring the intersection of nature and digital processes. He undertook a residency and solo presentation with Cryptic at CCA Glasgow, presenting a live audio-visual performance developed alongside his painting practice. In November, he produced Regrounding at Strangefield, Glasgow, a mini-festival focused on intermedia performance, and performed as part of his duo Making Nature.
Maryna Shkoliar participated in several major exhibitions in Ukraine, including the All-Ukrainian Christmas Exhibition and the All-Ukrainian Exhibition for the Day of the Artist at the Central House of Artists in Kyiv, as well as the X All-Ukrainian Triennial of Painting. Internationally, she exhibited in La Sublima Ossessione at Spazio SV – Centro Espositivo San Vidal in Venice.
Jan Valik presented a solo exhibition, The Calling, at Galerie Amart in Vienna. He also participated in multiple group exhibitions including Unquiet Landscapes at Yorkshire Art Space, Sheffield; Instant City at Nota Gallery, London; Beyond the Castle at Lian Gallery, Hangzhou; and Auto Amor volumes I and II in Shoreham and London. His work was acquired by a major Austrian collector. A catalogue titled The Calling was published to accompany his Vienna exhibition, with an essay by art historian Anne Moss. A further catalogue was published for Unquiet Landscapes, with contributions from curator Joanna Whittle and Georgina Kettlewell.
Tom Speedy graduated with First-Class Honours in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee. Two degree show paintings were exhibited at Unit London during Frieze Week as part of Don’t Look Back, alongside artists including Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk, Polly Morgan, Pam Evelyn, and Mark Titchner. He was selected for RSA New Contemporaries 2026 and awarded an RSA John Kinross Scholarship, supporting a research trip to Italy. New paintings inspired by the Palio in Siena will be exhibited at Tatha Gallery in January 2026.
Ed Saye presented a solo exhibition at CAS, Andover, from October to November 2025. This led to a further solo presentation scheduled for spring 2026 at the Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere, a National Trust property.
David Rae participated in the group exhibition Second Lives in Fitzrovia, curated by Jane Neal and Paula Lent, in November.
Coral Churchill was included in the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours Exhibition at Mall Galleries and presented a solo exhibition at XYZ Gallery in August.
Blake Milteer presented a solo exhibition, Returning: New Drawings, at Gairloch Museum, Scotland. He was also included in group exhibitions at the Royal Scottish Academy as part of the Visual Arts Scotland Biennial, and at Chrissy Moore Art Advisory, Edinburgh. He received the W Gordon Smith Award for Work of Outstanding Merit, was highly commended for the Homiens Art Prize, and received a four-star review in The Scotsman.
Lindsay Mapes was included in TEXTILES X ART, a new Thames & Hudson publication featuring 44 international artists.
