The Aesthetica Art Prize

An exhibition of shortlisted works from the Aesthetica Art Prize

March 8 –  April 28

(Private View: March 7)

Innovative and outstanding works of contemporary art will be on show in Yorkin March when the shortlist for the Aesthetica Art Prize is displayed at York St Mary’s – YorkArtGallery’s contemporary art space.
Organised by Aesthetica Magazine, an international art and culture publication, the Art Prize is a celebration of excellence in contemporary art from across the world, supporting and bringing the work of contemporary and emerging artists to a wider audience.
Photography and Digital Art, Three Dimensional Design and Sculpture, Painting and Drawing and Video, Installation and Performance are the categories covered in the exhibition. The overall winner will be announced at a preview evening of the exhibition on Thursday March. Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica Magazine and one of the judging panel alongside influential art figures and curators, said: “I am delighted to bring these artists’ works to the city. Moreover, the nature of many of the pieces comments upon life in the 21st century, evoking a deeper meaning, and reflection of the world in which we live.”

Previous finalists include Julia Vogl, who was shortlisted for New Sensations – Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4′s Prize – and has exhibited at Zabludowicz Collection; Marcus Jansen, a leading modern expressionist who joined a legacy of artists by featuring in Absolut Vodka’s artistic campaigns, and Bernat Millet, also shortlisted for National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.

Judges for this year’s prize include Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica Magazine; Laura Turner, Curator at York Art Gallery; Frances Guy, Head of Collection and Exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield; Kate MccGwire, internationally renowned British Sculptor and Neeta Madahar, renowned British photography represented by the Purdy Hicks Gallery, London.

The shortlist for this year’s prize includes artists from theUSA,South Korea,Australia,Denmarkand theUK. From thousands of entered artworks, the top eight have been selected for exhibition and a further 100 are projected within the space. This offers an expansive and unique opportunity to see the international breadth of work and appreciate the range and quality of current artistic practice.

There are 100 longlisted artists that will be featured in the Aesthetica Art Prize publication, on sale at the exhibition, online and at select galleries nationwide.

York St Mary’s is open from 10am-4pm and admission is free. For more information go to www.yorkstmary’s.org.uk or www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize

The shortlisted artists and categories.

Photographic & Digital Art

Damien O’Mara
Damien studied film production in 2010 and received grants for documentaries in both 2011 and 2012. Since then he has completed two photographic series exhibiting his Suited Man series in Melbourne, and the Trespasser series in New South Wales. He is currently working on a photographic series investigating contemporary masculinity through traditional work roles.

Mary Humphrey
A recent BA graduate from Cambridge School of Art, Mary focuses on education and the plight of the marginalised. She has produced several bodies of work focusing on Gypsies, Irish Travellers and Transylvanian Roma, and has begun studying for an MA.

Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture

Kyunghee Park

Kyunghee is a London-based Korean artist who in 2011 completed her MFA Fine Art at the Slade School of Fine Art and has exhibited at the Smokehouse Gallery in London. Interested in the invisible and the use of transformed and abandoned objects, she focuses on time and trace.

Poppy Whatmore
Poppy has recently completed her MFA Fine Art at the Slade School of Fine Art and in 2012 exhibited her work at The Saatchi Gallery. By subverting and deconstructing the conventional uses of chosen objects into surprising and playful arrangements, she portrays the flaws and failures of the human condition.

Painting & Drawing

Clare Walter

Clare is an artist who has lived and worked all over the world and is now based in London. Her practice focuses on personal and political relationships and patterns of involvement, particularly relating to issues of human rights and social justice. Walter has recently started an MA in Fine Art.

Caroline Jane Harris

British artist Caroline Jane Harris explores the intricacies of nature through a labour intensive paper-cutting technique. After graduating from Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Brighton, she was awarded residencies in London and Spain. Harris has participated in several group shows in the UK and internationally, and in 2012 was awarded the Judge’s Choice for the British Women Artists Competition.

Video, Installation & Performance

Sara Brannan

UK sculptor Sara Brannan has recently moved her practice towards digital media. Her work focuses on gendered spectatorship and female identification in cinema. Using films in the public domain, Brannan identifies and singles out the female “lead” character. This re-editing interrupts the patriarchal narrative structure and makes visible the usually invisible editing that is demanded by realism.

Hyung-gyu Kim
Hyung-Gyu Kim is a multimedia artist who was born in South Korea and is now based in New York City. His current work involves interactive sound and image installations that explore the relationship between audio and visual communication. His work has been exhibited in Japan, Korea and the United States. He earned the Award of Excellence at the Asia Digital Arts Awards (2006) and was named a finalist at the ADAA the following year (2007).

Ends

Notes:

The artists and Cherie Federico are available for interview on request.

York St Mary’s

York St Mary’s is a medieval church in the centre of York. It was de-consecrated in 1958 and in 2004 York Museums Trust opened it as a contemporary art venue. The first exhibition was a light crescendo, which brought together a number of works by international artists.

In 2005, York Museums Trust commissioned breathing space by Caroline Broadhead, followed by Echo by Susie MacMurray in 2006. 2007-8 was The Memory of Place by Keiko Mukaide. In 2009 Emma Biggs and Matthew Collings used shards of medieval pottery from the Yorkshire Museum to create an installation Five Sisters inspired by the window by the same name at York Minster. In 2010 Susan Stockwell installed Flood made from thousands of disused computer components, while last year saw Cornelia Parker’s Thirty Pieces of Silver displayed, on loan from Tate.

Aesthetica Magazine

Aesthetica is an internationally recognised brand, with a combined online and print audience of 100,000 + worldwide. It celebrates its 10thAnniversary this year.
The brand engages with the arts both in the UK, Europe and further a field and Aesthetica’s editorial combines dynamic content with compelling critical debate, attracting a high-profile, culturally aware audience. Aesthetica is a respected voice in contemporary art and culture and is stocked through WH Smiths nationally, major galleries including Tate Modern, ICA and the Serpentine as well as being exported to 18 countries worldwide. Each issue covers visual art, film, music and performance and is published bi-monthly (6 times per year). For further information visit www.aestheticamagazine.com

Further information
For interviews with the artist please contact Lee Clark, communications manager, on 01904 687673 or email lee.clark@ymt.org.uk

For further information, contact Lee Clark, communications manager at York Museums Trust, telephone 01904 687673 or email lee.clark@ymt.org.uk