FUAM Graduate Art Prize
FUAM Graduate Art Prize
Every year the FUAM Graduate Art Prize rewards the artistic excellence of the top students graduating in Design and Fine Art at the University of Leeds.
This year Art and Design graduates, Zoe James and Francesca Ivaldi, have been named as finalists alongside two Fine Art graduates, with their degree show work currently on display in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.
Zoe’s work focuses on how technology can open up the possibilities of painting through experimenting with technology. The entirety of her work on display made up of only five different photographs of painters marks, which have been duplicated, distorted and tinted in Photoshop.
” I’m interested in what can be considered painting in a contemporary context, conversing with the idea of painting after technology. I have been working closely with the tool of the camera as a tool to paint with, to experiment with the boundaries between painting and photography.
“Through repetition of gestures, complex abstract patterns emerge with an aesthetic similar to a Rorschach test. The observed forms are dependent on the viewer’s imagination, whilst some witness grotesque organs fused together others might see interwoven butterfly wings.”
Francesca’s Greener Pastures series is a collection of mixed media pieces that visualise the Black British experience. Her intention behind the series was to explore and depict the deeply ingrained relationship between Britain and Jamaica through collages, prints and photographs.
“The inspiration for this project was sparked by a trip to Jamaica in 2015. The contrast between the urban areas of south London, where Jamaican migrants settled throughout the 1950s and the vibrant landscapes of rural Jamaica formed the subject of this photography project.
“These photographs, along with a variety of printed materials were used to create compositions which convey a unique social narrative.”
Judges will return in September to pick a best in show, who will receive £250 towards aiding their career development.
