Best 'New Artist' named at Saatchi Gallery and secures £10,000 prize

Sofia Laskari takes the crown as winner of the 2023 Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year Award in a VIP Awards evening held at the Saatchi Gallery, London.

Sofia Laskari was the recipient of the £10,000 cash prize – out of a possible 1,600 entries - presented by global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters, after being selected ahead of the other nine shortlisted artists for work submitted within the brief of ‘The Journey of Self-Actualization: Exploring the Illusion of Greener Grass and the Pursuit of the Dream’.

Sofia Laskari, based in London, impressed the judges with her strong storytelling, rich symbolism and exemplary technique. Laskari's work is deeply personal, offering a relatable exploration of the human experience. Her pieces delve into the physical and mental challenges individuals face, inviting the viewers to ponder the complexities of life, prompting questions and encouraging a thoughtful engagement with the narratives she presents. The winning piece of work will be on display at the Robert Walters head office in Covent Garden for 12 months.

Sofia Laskari, winner of the 2023 Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year Award, commented:

“What an amazing event, that was delicately curated and supported by the most professional, sensitive and open-minded people. Winning an award of UKNA first of all, made me proud of myself and standing for my personal and honest brutality. I had a chance to exhibit amongst 10 great artists and be seen by a large group of art professionals and art lovers, and be able to finally connect with a lot of people on the level I wanted to.

I am thankful to the team of UKNA and to Robert Walters for organising the event and having a moment to listen to me and look at my work. As well as thankfully to Garth Gratrix, who so carefully curated the show.

I still don’t believe the reality of everything that’s happened, but I know that my heart is so proud of myself.’’

Kim Thompson, based in Nottingham, was the recipient of the £5,000 runner-up prize for her work titled ‘The Millers’; capturing a poignant moment in 1974 which depicts Thompson's maternal family posing in their Church Of God Of Prophecy (COGOP) function room. Each member dressed in Sunday best, hand sewn by the central figure, matriarch and Women’s Missionary Band leader, Stelma Miller. ‘The Millers’ reflects the experience of many first generation Caribbeans, driven to carve out their dreams in a promised land that didn’t welcome them.

Kim Thompson, runner-up of the 2023 Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year Award, commented:

"I'm absolutely thrilled and honoured to receive the runner up prize! Attending the Robert Walters and UKNA Award ceremony as a guest 2 years ago was a huge motivating factor for me, inspiring and fuelling my practice. To return to Saatchi this year as a selected finalist, to exhibit amongst such hugely talented fellow artists, and now to receive this prize feels very validating and a real privilege.

The support of UKNA has been critical to my creative development as a new artist, and the Robert Walters Award and event will make a huge difference to my practice moving forward. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my work, connect with so many via my art, and for the access to more time, space, materials that the prize will allow for.

My current work is an ongoing legacy project which aims to uplift, document and preserve marginalised narratives in a meaningful way. This work feels urgent and important - I'm so happy to be able to continue developing it and my practice having received this boost!"

The award sets out to discover and champion exceptional emerging artists who are representative of contemporary Britain and brings 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 up-and-coming artists.

Selected from over 1,600 artists, the 2023 finalists are: Damaris Athene (London), William Bacon (Oxford), Parham Ghalamdar (Manchester), Sofia Laskari (London), Kieran Leach (Manchester), Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia (Glasgow/Macclesfield), Edward Rollitt (Winchester), Anna Tong (London), Pascal Ungerer (Cork, Ireland) and Kim Thompson (Nottingham).

The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 9 November 2023 at Saatchi Gallery and the exhibition was curated by Garth Gratrix, an artist, curator and founding Director of Abingdon Studios Ltd. In 2022/23 Gratrix was awarded the Clore Visual Arts Fellowship. They have exhibited with and curated shows that include Derek Jarman, Rene Matic, Ro Robertson, Harold Offeh, Helen Cammock, Sunil Gupta, Lothar Goetz, Stuart Semple, Topher Campbell, Rafal Zajko, Jonathan Baldock and Jenkin van Zyl.

Judges included:

Robert Walters - art enthusiast, collector, and Founder of Robert Walters Group, Paul Foster - Director of Saatchi Gallery, Michelle Bowen - Director of UK New Artists, Alex Zawadzki - Director and Curator of The Second Act Gallery, Harold Offeh - Artist & Educator, Inger Margrethe Stoveland - Director, Fluks - Centre for Young Art at the University of Agder, Norway and Habib Hajallie - Artist and winner of the 2022 Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the Year Award.

Robert Walters, CEO of Robert Walters Group comments:

 “Since its inception, the Robert Walters UK New Artist Award has offered us the opportunity to provide a launch pad for the career of a talented emerging artist on an annual basis – as well as admire their incredible bodies of work. I want to extend my congratulations to all of the shortlisted artists, as well as our 2023 winner, Sofia Laskari, we look forward to following your budding career in the world of art.”

Michelle Bowen, Director of UKNA adds:

‘’The shortlist for the first Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of the Year Award has been exceptional and UKNA thanks all ten finalists for their outstanding contributions.  We would like to congratulate Sofia Laskari on winning this prestigious award and our runner-up Kim Thompson. We are sure that both the awards will make a big difference to Sofia Laskari and Kim Thompson at an important stage of their career. Collaborating with Robert Walters Group and Saatchi Gallery on yet another successful award continues to help us on our mission of reaching new audiences and supporting more new and emerging artists.”