Announcing the Platform Graduate Award 2018

CVAN South East is pleased to announce the selection for the Platform Graduate Award 2018. Thirty-three graduates have been chosen from across seventeen universities, representing some of the finest emerging visual artists in the South East region. Their degree show work will be exhibited in the five partner galleries – Aspex in Portsmouth, De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, Modern Art Oxford and Turner Contemporary in Margate – between September 2018 and January 2019. One artist from each gallery will be nominated for the award, with the winning artist announced on 17 November by guest selector, artist Harold Offeh.

The graduate artists are:

At Aspex in Portsmouth – Carol Abell (Arts University Bournemouth), Kane Applegate (Southampton Solent University), Fiona Baanah-Jones (Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton), Simon Beasley (University of Portsmouth), Natasha Dalziel (Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton), Hannah Davies (University of Chichester), Rosie Gatford (University of Chichester), Rachel Mortlock (Arts University Bournemouth), Annie Murrells (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Farnham), Josephine Rock (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Farnham), Carl Tai Thompson (University of Portsmouth), and George Waring (Southampton Solent University).

At De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea – Tasneem Arif (University of Brighton), Godith Hawkins (University of Brighton at Sussex Coast College Hastings), Katie Needham (University of Brighton), Oscar Yasamee (University of Hastings) and Maddalena Zadra (University of Brighton).

At MK Gallery, Milton Keynes – Bethany Holden (University of Bedfordshire), Elizabeth Leonard (University of Hertfordshire), Travis O’Connor (University of Hertfordshire), and Abbie Schug (University of Northampton).

At Modern Art Oxford – Luke Dawes (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford), Annie Le Santo (Oxford Brookes University) and Louise Povey (University of Reading).

At Turner Contemporary, Margate – Lalita Bailey (University of Kent), Kuro D Black (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Canterbury), Kaushikee Gupta (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Canterbury), Holly Jones (Canterbury Christ Church University), Little-Blood (Alfie Killick) (University of Kent), Ty Locke (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Canterbury), Amanda Nsubuga (University of Kent), Ronan Porter (University for the Creative Arts, UCA Canterbury), and Ida Shakespeare (Canterbury Christ Church University).

Paul Hobson, Director, Modern Art Oxford and Chair, CVAN South East said:

The Platform Graduate Award enables Modern Art Oxford and our partners within the network to nurture graduate artists in the South East as they begin to establish themselves. Now in its seventh year, Platform once again shines a light on the region’s brightest talents, stimulating artist networks and revealing the high quality and diversity of practice that has emerged from seventeen participating art schools.

Exhibition dates:

Modern Art Oxford, 5 September – 14 October (solo exhibition series)

Turner Contemporary, Margate, 7 September – 4 November (group exhibition)

Aspex, Portsmouth, 28 September – 30 December (group exhibition)

MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, 2 – 24 November (group exhibition)

De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, 15 December – 6 January (group exhibition)

For more information about each artist, download the Platform 2018 Artists’ Statements.

Image: (Top l-r) Not in Heroes or Villains but in People, installation view at University Centre Hastings, Oscar Yasamee, 2018; Excavate (with a fine tooth comb), installation view at Ruskin Degree Show, Luke Dawes, 2018; The pain within (installation detail), Ida Shakespeare, 2018; (Bottom l-r) A Tale of 50 Yards, -Letters to an unknown lover series (detail of a 9 sari installation), installation view at University for the Creative Arts, Kaushikee Gupta, 2018; Junction 14. 1979, installation view at the University of Brighton, Katie Needham, 2018; B1398 (film still), Annie Le Santo, 2018.