Celebrating new artistic talent from across the South East, Platform Graduate Award 2020 is a series of four online solo exhibitions by selected BFA graduates from University of Reading and The Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford. The initiative supports emerging artistic talent to further their practice, and awards one outstanding artist a £2000 bursary and mentoring from a professional artist.
12-18 October | Khadija Cecile Niang (University of Reading)
It’s Not Just Hair
Through film, sculptural installation, sound and watercolour, Khadija examines her cultural identity, as a Senegalese woman who has never resided in her home country, and has lived in both Europe and Africa. Exploring her feeling of being disjointed from her culture, her work creates a space for different aspects of her heritage within a European context. Visit the online exhibition.
19-25 October | Natalie Sired (University of Reading)
BEEFCAKE
Through poetic prose and film, Natalie’s work challenges patriarchal conventions of women and nature, and the analogous exploitation of both. Drawing parallels between femininity in the human and the non-human, BEEFCAKE subverts the idea of women and nature as object, inspiring reflections on the current state of the environment, and our impact on it. Visit the online exhibition.
26 October – 1 November | James Scott (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford)
raisin_things
James’s playful and adaptive practice, which spans video, installation and performance, freely navigates and explores the subtle gestures of everyday systems. Activating his chosen subject matter beyond its intended function or form, his work transitions from reality to a surreal space. Visit the online exhibition.
2-8 November | Mihaela-Elena Man (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford)
Domestic Ideograms
Spanning sculpture, drawing, video and textiles, Mihaela’s work interrogates the formulation and articulation of collective and personal histories in the absence of historical documentation. Constructing physical and digital works that emulate the model and function of the archive, Mihaela uses written and oral storytelling to unpack the social behaviours that have erased, altered or restored the meaning of familiar objects, images and icons. Visit the online exhibition.
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Platform is led by the Contemporary Visual Arts Network South East (CVAN South East) and is a partnership between four galleries: Aspex in Portsmouth, Phoenix Art Space Brighton, Modern Art Oxford and Turner Contemporary in Margate.