The Griffin Art Prize 2013 Exhibition

The Griffin Art Prize (GAP) has cemented its place as one of the best in the country for emerging artists with another top quality exhibition and I felt it deserved a a quick detour visit to see the work on show. This years prize, awarded last week, features an excellent shortlist with some very promising artists.

Showcasing developing artists as well as those just graduating it provides a window of opportunity perhaps for those graduates whose work was not singled out for wider attention at degree shows and who have developed well since. This is very important as each years new graduates easily attract wide attention and have plenty of opportunity to impress, whilst a few years on there is less chance to be recognised as an ’emerging’ artist.

Luke George & Elizabeth Rose

Luke George & Elizabeth Rose were this years winners and it was easy to see why. Their abstract works in gesso and oil are rich in subtle colour and texture. At each viewing angle or distance something new appears, elements come to the fore, textures appear and fade.

 

It will be exciting to see what new work they can create given the excellent studio space and facilities that the GAP supplies for the year ahead. These images are different views of the one work

Other artists caught the eye too. Mary Wintour‘s overpainted collages are bright and inventive with some intriguing imagery where the boundaries between photograph and painting seem to disappear.

Emily Moore takes inspiration from mountain landscapes for her appealing geometric collages, but she also works with paint,  collage and camera.

The expressive paintings of Rae Hicks feature surreal landscapes and imaginary structures. Questions of what, where, why and how inspire repeated viewing.

Nicola Wong asks questions about the nature of everyday life – whether unweaving a painted canvas or constructing a ‘canvas of bookends within a frame.

Susannah Douglass’ immaculate drawings are developed from collaged photocopies of anonymous internet images.  The imaginary almost becomes real.

There is also work from Helen Frank, Scott Robertson, Eleanor Bledlow and Yuhwa Son.

Take the opportunity to see some potential future stars and perhaps even buy a work at a very reasonable price.

GAP 2013 exhibition runs until the end of November at the Griffin Gallery.

GAP 2013 tours to High House Gallery from 16 January to 16 February 2014 before continuing to the White Moose Gallery in Barnstable.

The GAP is open to ‘any UK based artist whose primary activity is painting or drawing and has graduated with a BA, MA or PhD from a recognized institution’ in the previous 5 years.

 

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• The Griffin Art Prize 2013 winners – Luke George & Elizabeth Rose (akickupthearts.wordpress.com)
• Shortlist Announced for The Griffin Art Prize 2013 (akickupthearts.wordpress.com)
• Griffin Art Prize 2013 Touring Venues Announced (akickupthearts.wordpress.com)