Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year Award 2021
Photo by Reece Straw
The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 4th November at the Saatchi Gallery, and was curated by Garth Gratrix, an internationally exhibiting artist, curator and studio director based in the North West of England. Gratrix's work often showcases cross-disciplinary practices in diverse and unique settings. The exhibition remained on view until Sunday 7 November 2021 at Saatchi Gallery.
Over 900 artists submitted work. The 2021 finalists were: Jukka Virkkunen (London), Molly Kent (Edinburgh), Lucy Gregory (London), Aimee Melaugh (Derry), Sam Tahmassebi (London), Wesley George (London), Jarvis Brookfield (Leicester), Anne von Freyburg (London), Maayan Sophia Weisstub (London), and Catriona Robertson (London).
Anne von Freyburg, was named as the winner of the Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the Year Award 2021.
Anne was recipient to the £10,000 cash prize presented by global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters Group, after being selected ahead of the other nine shortlisted artists for work submitted within the brief of ‘Where do we go from here? Is there to be a new normal?’
Dutch artist Anne – now based in London – wowed the judges with use of quality materials, technique and commitment to the process for her winning piece ‘Feminising The Canvas.’
Anne presented a series of reconstructed Rococo portraits made out of a mixture of tapestry and contemporary fashion fabrics.
The imagery focused on a stylised idea around feminine beauty as found in the tradition of Boucher and Fragonard. Her works raised questions about taste, femininity, high and low art and the constructs of female identity.
The portraits were created with acrylic ink and then translated into hand-stitched fabrics and sewing techniques that give the work an almost bodily presence. Whilst on the one hand playful and referencing the decorative quality of their sources, the over-indulgence in these works also points to the excesses of throwaway fashion, selfies, and consumerism.
The winning piece of work will be on display at the Robert Walters head office in Covent Garden for 12 months.
Runner-up on the evening Catriona Robertson was awarded a cash prize of £5,000 to go towards the development of her future career in the industry.
Scottish artist Catriona – now living in London – impressed the judges with her use of raw materials in her installation – ‘Burrow Sprout Grow’ – which explores the architecture and the hidden spaces interwoven above and below ground within the fast-changing rising concrete landscape and urban geology.
Following the exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery from 4-7 November 2021, the exhibition was presented online in a virtual gallery. Between 7 November and 13 December, the public had the opportunity to vote online for their favourite artist. Jarvis Brookfield secured the majority of the 1300 votes cast. His prize will be an opportunity to exhibit internationally, supported by UKNA.
Jarvis Brookfield studied art at De Montfort University, Leicester, where he is currently based. His immersive and vibrant paintings are inspired by altered states of consciousness.
The award sets out to discover and champion exceptional artists who are representative of contemporary Britain, and has brought back together three leading organisations – global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters, leading arts charity UK New Artists, and renowned contemporary art platform Saatchi Gallery - to help provide a career springboard for emerging artists.
Judges included Michael Forbes - artist and chair of Primary; Conor Rogers - artist and winner of the 2019 award; Cindy Sissokho - Curator at New Art Exchange and Associate Curator of Casablanca Biennale; Michelle Bowen - Director of UK New Artists; and Paul Foster – Interim Gallery Director of Saatchi Gallery.