27/05/15
Catlin Art Prize 2015
Londonewcastle Project Space
8-30 May 2015
Each year, curator, publisher and
art dealer Justin Hammond scours the country looking for the most promising
graduate art talent. He attends degree shows, speaks to course tutors,
collectors, curators and artists, and compiles a list of 40 graduates, whom he
deems worthwhile watching. The Catlin Guide, launched each year at the London
Art Fair, presents these 40 artists with an image of their work and a short Q&A
interview about their future projects and aspirations. From this long-list,
Hammond then selects eight artists to be in the Catlin Art Prize exhibition,
held in May at the Londonewcastle Project Space in Shoreditch. He looks for
talent and promise, of course, but also for artists whom he thinks will work
well together and produce a cohesive and coherent group show. This year, the
eight finalists’ work draws on themes of urban renewal and gentrification,
power struggles, and a more surprising common undercurrent: Nazism.
The eight artists to look out for this year are: Jon
Baker (Chelsea College of Arts), Felicity Hammond (Royal College of Art), Oliver Hickmet (City & Guilds of
London Art School), Nicholas William Johnson (Royal College of Art),
Paul Schneider (Royal Academy of Arts), Lexi Strauss (Royal College of Art),
Dominic Watson (The Glasgow School of Art) and Zhu Tian (Royal College of Art).
With the winner of the £5000 prize – selected by a jury, this year comprising Aaron
Cezar, founding Director of Delfina Foundation; Charlotte Schepke, founder of
London art space Large Glass and previously director of the Frith Street
Gallery; and George Vasey, independent
writer and curator of the Northern
Gallery for Contemporary Art – having been announced on 13 May as Zhu Tian and
the Visitor Vote (£2000) going to Paul Schneider, Studio International went to
take a look at the exhibition and to speak to the artists taking part.[1]
To watch these interviews, please go to: http://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/catlin-art-prize-2015-video-review-zhu-tian-paul-schneider
[1]Unfortunately Oliver Hickmet could
not be present.