The Catlin Art Prize 2012 is an annual exhibition featuring the most promising art graduates in the UK one year on from their degree show and this year’s exhibition will be held at the Londonewcastle Project Space from 3rd – 25th May 2012.
It will feature new work by artists who demonstrate real potential to make a significant mark in the art world during the next decade.
Following the publication of the critically acclaimed Catlin Guide 2012, the shortlist of artists taking part in The Catlin Prize 2012 include: Gabriella Boyd, Poppy Bisdee, Jonny Briggs, Max Dovey, Ali Kazim, Adeline de Mongseignat, Soheila Sokhanvari and Julia Vogl. Working across painting, sculpture, performance and film, each reflects the diversity inherent to contemporary artistic practice, and signals a promising future for art in the UK.
Justin Hammond, Art Catlin curator, comments: ‘The Catlin Art Prize provides a good indication of what’s going in art schools across the UK. Artists are resisting traditional categorisation and experimenting with a variety of media. New graduates like Max Dovey and Julia Vogl are impossible to pigeon-hole and I think that’s a good thing. Their work is democratic, promoting the idea of community and encouraging viewers to interact.’
A panel of judges will award one artist with a prize of £5,000 at a private ceremony on 16th May. Previous judges include artists Polly Morgan and Toby Ziegler, critic and documentary filmmaker Ben Lewis, gallerist Simon Oldfield and collector Robert Devereux.
For the first time the public will have the opportunity to pick their favourite artist in a Visitor Vote. Votes can be cast via Twitter, Facebook and a ballot box at the venue. The winner will be awarded £2000.
Many of the artists showcased in previous editions of The Catlin Art Prize and Guide have gone on to feature in major international exhibitions. Joshua Bilton and Leah Capaldi recently showed as part of the ICA’s New Contemporaries. 2008 winner Alex Ball and 2010 finalist Adam Dix have both recently enjoyed sell-out shows (at the University of Arts and Haunch of Venison respectively) and 2009 winner Sarah Lederman has gone on to exhibit alongside Tracey Emin and Cecily Brown.
The Catlin Art Prize provides a significant level of support, and platform for visibility, to artists recently graduated from university and Londonewcastle is proud to be supporting the Prize this year by donating the gallery space.