Platform Graduate Award 2019 – Focus on Sian Hookins
6th Nov 2019
A graduate of the University of Kent, Sian Hookins was nominated by Turner Contemporary for the Platform Graduate Award 2019.
“I am interested in the intricacies of our bodies, their fragilities, complexities and peculiarities. I am interested in the small moments of familiarity that are found amongst the absurdity of unexpected materials and intuitively recognised forms. The work that I was selected for makes particular references to my own body and an intimate engagement with its most curious parts.
“I reach for malleable materials that allow me to shape sculptures that are not completely fixed, but instead arc, slump, tilt and shift a little, as the body does. I work quietly, with a very delicate hand and a sharp eye, intrigued by how two materials interact or how one sculpture can precariously balance on top of another. I like to play with the concealment, creation and expansion of spaces through the delicate scale and configuration of my sculptures. I use these subtleties, like noticing a tiny sculpture in the corner of your eye just when you thought you’d seen them all, or the strange shadows my sculptures create, to make work that reveals itself to you slowly, and almost never stops.
“Platform has given me the incomparable opportunity of having my first solo exhibition at Tuner Contemporary. As a young artist, it has meant that I have had the chance to work alongside experienced creatives and professionals. It has also meant that my work has been able to reach a much wider public audience than I had ever anticipated. I am grateful to my tutors at University of Kent, everyone at Turner Contemporary and CVAN South East for their support throughout.”
You can keep up to date with Sian’s work by visiting her Instagram or website, where she frequently posts developments of her work, current projects and any upcoming exhibitions. Read about the other nominated artists and the 23 artists selected for 2019.
Image: Opened up, Emptied out, Sian Hookins, installation view at Chatham Historic Dockyard, 2019. Photo: Ayesah Chouglay.