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Platform Graduate Award comes to Plymouth for 2022
Eight artists who have graduated from Arts University Plymouth and University of Plymouth in the past 12 months have been selected for the city’s inaugural Platform Graduate Award and exhibition, an initiative to support emerging graduate artistic talent to further their practice following graduation.
From Arts University Plymouth, BA (Hons) Fine Art graduates Ashanti Hare, Liam Brooks and Stella Olivier feature in the exhibition, alongside BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing & Printmaking graduates Sue Bown, Karmin O'Brien and Jo Haskins. From the University of Plymouth, BA (Hons) Fine Art graduates Hayley Barker and Emma Davis feature.
Work by Jo Haskins
The exhibition is open in Arts University Plymouth’s Painting, Drawing & Printmaking Studios from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday until 31 August 2022, free to members of the public. Visitors can call into Arts University Plymouth’s main reception at the city-centre Tavistock Place campus and ask to be directed to the Painting, Drawing & Printmaking Studios.
Work by Ashanti Hare
The initiative is led by CVAN South East (Contemporary Visual Arts Network South East) and in 2022 is a partnership between six galleries: Aspex in Portsmouth, MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, MIRROR at Arts University Plymouth, Modern Art Oxford, Phoenix Art Space in Brighton and Turner Contemporary in Margate. The Platform exhibitions are viewed by over 60,000 visitors annually.
Work by Liam Brooks
Established in 2012, the award includes a £2000 bursary and 12 months of mentoring support, and is awarded to an outstanding graduate from one of the participating regional Higher Education partners. Following an exhibition and events programme across the six participating galleries, an artist from each gallery will be nominated for the award.
The six nominees will be invited to present their work to a panel tasked with judging the award. The panel includes representatives of the six galleries and a guest artist selector. Previous guest selectors include Tai Shani, Mikhail Karikis, Harold Offeh, Rosalind Nashashibi, Lindsay Seers and Adam Chodzko. The winning artist will be announced in December 2022. This year the five runner-up nominated artists will also each receive an award of £200.
Platform focuses on artists in the first year after graduation; a critical time when the loss of the university support structure and financial pressures can test an artist’s dedication to their practice. For the participating galleries, this is a way to keep in touch with the most promising emerging practice, and with Higher Education institutions. More broadly, the scheme aims to stimulate artist networks outside of London and encourage artists to stay within their regions. In 2021 the Award was won by Ainoa Burgos Gonzalez, a graduate of the University of Brighton, who was nominated by Phoenix Art Space in Brighton.
