New Blood Art wouldn’t be possible without the incredible arts institutions across the UK. The passion of the fantastic tutors, lecturers and the course convenors that work within them. These institutions are an integral part of the art world. Offering emerging artists a space to learn, experiment and develop their craft in a safe environment.
From the very beginning of our story, New Blood Art has worked closely with these institutions. Founder Sarah has been visiting degree shows up and down the country every year to select talented emerging artists. To celebrate this fruitful relationship, in 2023 we launched the New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize. Inviting tutors from collaborating institutions to select nominees from their graduating Fine Art degree course. We welcome their expertise, gained from years of experience working with emerging artists and wanted to draw on this know-how and find out what they looked for when selecting nominees. We asked them to tell us a little more about the reasons behind their selections. Here are some of their insights..
Dan Robinson, Programme Leader Photography at the Open College of the Arts on emerging artist Anna Sellen:
“Anna Sellen’s Drip by drip, we are fed with concrete absolutely stunned the Open College of the Arts (OCA) selection panel with its outstanding quality and achievement, as a compelling and innovative physical, online and virtual reality exhibition project — sensitively representing archives, personal histories and geo-politics of the Cold War era.”
“OCA’s distance/online model often sees ambitious final year projects benefit from a ‘slow burn’ approach to development, collaboration and external engagement that part-time study can enable, but Anna’s final project was of really stand out exceptional quality. Anna has also attracted wide acclaim and recognition: Open Walls Arles selection 2023 (British Journal of Photography / 1854 Media); “sensitivity and imagination… stand out experimental use of archive images” RBSA Photography prize 2023, “striking and immersive” Daylight Photo Awards 2022; Royal Photographic Society international exhibition 2022, Photoworks UK 2022, Shutter Hub Portfolio award 2021).
We’re absolutely thrilled for Anna as a deserving nominee for the New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize, and she is definitely one to watch!”
Charlotte Brisland, Lecturer in Fine Art (Painting) at Aberystwyth University and New Blood Masters Artist on emerging artists Sophie Rice and Toby Wills-Hart:
Sophie Rice:
“Sophie’s approach in painting has always been experimental. Applying feminist theory with colour and creating unsettling spaces in her compositions, the paintings are both personal and relevant within a wider social context. The paintings are built up in fragmented parts of visited places and are often turned upside down or on their side during the making process.”
Toby Wills-Hart:
“Toby embodies painting and discusses his work in these terms. Aligning with painters such as Hilma af Klint, Toby works by intuition, layering paint over paint, a single canvas may be subject to several phases, finally accumulating in a kind of ending which is often re-visited.”
Emma Drye, Programme Leader for Painting, Open College of the Arts on emerging artist Arlene Sharp:
“Arlene’s painting and site specific installation formed an impressive submission, beautifully contextualised with deeply informed research into the significant contexts within which she is operating. She shows a truly innovative approach to the painted object, pictorial space and the siting of paintings. All these things have been done with ambitious and tireless creativity and application. Her relationship with a small copse of trees and pond that formed the basis of her field research enabled her to build on her formal innovations to create an evocative and inspiring final degree show.”
Tim Sandys-Renton, MRSS, MA (RCA), BA hons, Programme coordinator for Fine Art and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art Sculpture, University of Chichester on emerging artist Daniel Gent
“Daniel is a sophisticated artist who balances a personal vision with conceptual clarity, formal strength, integrity, and an uncompromising attitude. His work is about transfiguration; a re-discovered beauty achieved by casting plaster into domestic waste.”
Rhodri Rees, Lecturer in Art and Design at Carmarthen School of Art on emerging artist Lesley Morris
“Lesley consistently demonstrated exceptional artistic skill in charcoal, with strong observational ability. Her impactful self-portraits effectively communicated powerful emotions, reflecting her relentless work ethic and willingness to learn throughout her degree. Her large-scale drawings had a great presence and stood out as a crowd favourite amongst a variety of exceptional works at our final year exhibition. Going forward, Lesley will be continuing her practice as a resident artist with Carmarthen School of Art. As a team, we look forward to having Lesley as an invaluable asset to our artistic community.”
Dr Sonya Dyer, Lecturer, BA Fine Art & History of Art at Goldsmiths, University of London on emerging artist Eunjo Lee
“Eunjo Lee is a young artist of exceptional promise.
Her work utilises game engine technology to build worlds inspired by philosophies from around the world, infusing the work with layers of meaning. She creates dense visual landscapes of ruins, creatures and ‘people’, and works collaboratively to produce intimate soundtracks.
Her prints and sculptural works are additional points of entry into her worlds, providing texture and context. This is work of great ambition, combining technical mastery with great visual sophistication.”