Meet the Judges - Robert Walters Group UKNA Award 2022
We’re over half way through the Call for Entries for the Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the Year Award 2022, in collaboration with Saatchi Gallery, and it’s time to meet the judges! We are delighted to have such a stellar judging panel for this year’s award.
Entries will be assessed by our judging panel according to the criteria laid out in the brief to artists. Together, they will look for artists who show significant potential, an original voice and exceptional artistic talent.
Michelle Bowen
Michelle Bowen is a highly experienced cultural and creative sector leader with a career including senior positions in the strategic cultural agencies and funding system at both the Arts Council England and Craft Council. Thoroughly committed to artistic excellence and driving high quality practice particularly across the contemporary visual arts Michelle has worked with UK New Artists for 6 years and has developed and delivered new partnerships and programmes for UKNA and ensuring that UKNA is the leading organisation for cross disciplinary working, intercultural dialogue and supporting new creative talent from across the UK.
Paul Foster
As Commercial Director at Saatchi Gallery, Paul oversees the delivery of the strategies in place to deliver all commercial revenue streams – including events, retail, F&B and ticketing, as well as overseeing HR and Operational matters. Paul is also currently overseeing the implementation of the programming strategy for the Gallery & leading the wider team. Prior to joining Saatchi Gallery in 2012 Paul held a series of senior positions at a leading fine art publisher for 10 years and acted as an independent consultant for contemporary art institutions.
Lisa Gee
Lisa Gee has been Director of the Harley Foundation Charitable Trust since 1999, developing this unique cultural asset whose mission is ‘to create spaces where creativity can flourish’. The Foundation funds two free admission gallery spaces, an education programme and 3 blocks of subsidised studios for artists, makers, designers and conservators. The Harley Gallery runs a changing programme of contemporary visual art exhibitions and the recently opened Portland Collection Museum shows historic fine and decorative arts from the Portland Collection with works by Michelangelo, Nicholas Hilliard, George Stubbs and John Singer Sargent. The Harley Foundation was set up by the last Duchess of Portland in 1977 and is based on the historic ducal estate of Welbeck, Nottinghamshire. Lisa is committed to artistic excellence and driving high quality practice particularly across the contemporary visual arts and exhibition and museum displays.
Won Hee Nam
Won Hee Nam is the CEO of Art Lab N3 and Gallery N&K both of which he has recently founded in Seoul, South Korea. He has developed a significant portfolio of work selling artists such as Michael Craig-Martin and he has developed a number of significant international projects himself and with UK New Artists. As an artist himself he is very aware of the need to support new emerging talent and the importance of intercultural dialogue for new artists.
Saad Eddine Said
Known for his City Take-Overs, Saad Eddine Said is a curator who initiates and builds bridges and creative partnerships between local communities, artists, activists, social entrepreneurs, innovators, cultural organisations and governmental institutions. His work focuses on co-creating impactful and artistic takeovers that are aimed at re-thinking, re-imagining and re-shaping the structure and future of institutions and communities in towns and cities nationally and internationally. He presented his work and vision around theories of change in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. Saad Eddine Said is the Co-Founder and previous Co-Artistic Director of the charity Terre Sans Frontiere (Morocco) and worked as the Director of HOME Slough (UK). Saad has recently taken the position as Artistic Director and CEO of New Art Exchange.
Anne von Freyburg
Anne von Freyburg is a Dutch artist based in London. She received her MA Fine Art from Goldsmiths, graduating in 2016. She holds a BA in Fashion Design from ArtEZ Arnhem, The Netherlands.
Von Freyburg is the winner of The Robert Walters UK New Artists Award 2021 and exhibited at Saatchi Gallery London. She was nominated for The Ingram Prize 2021 and took part in the PLOP x Cob. winter residency in London with an end of residency show in November 2021. In 2019 she was awarded a residency at the Florence Trust in London and was shortlisted for the Art Gemini Prize. She has exhibited in London, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. Her work has been published in Create magazine, Artsinsquare magazine, Art Scope magazine (US), Embroidery art magazine (UK), Textiel Plus magazine (NL), Artplugged UK, Art Verge and many others. Von Freyburg’s work is in several private collections all over the world.
Robert Walters
Robert Walters is the founder and CEO of Robert Walters Group, a global specialist recruitment group spanning 31 countries. As a passionate supporter of the arts, Robert Walters is a tenured supporter and patron of prestigious arts organisations including the V&A, Saatchi Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. He has also personally invested in seed capital projects ranging from a stage musical to an award-winning short film.
