Made in Arts London 2023:

FOREWORD

It is my pleasure to introduce ‘The Space Between’, a collection that represents the latest cohort of creatives who are joining Made in Arts London. The works in this collection consciously and unconsciously explore subtle contrasts, translating them back to the viewer – drawing you in, and prompting you find out more.

A special thanks to our student designer Bhairavi Yogasivam (Meet the Designer, page 52) and Arts Students’ Union Graphic Designer, Marina Marbella, for bringing the 11th Catalogue together. Yogasivam took inspiration from images of the works in ‘The Space Between’, noticing “among the various ideas, the concepts of ‘home’ and ‘snapshot moments of everyday life’.” which you will see echoed in this catalogue’s graphic illustrations.

Now entering its twelfth year, Made in Arts London, through the Arts Students’ Union, has proudly supported an incredible number of students attending University of the Arts London, in entering the creative industries. This support happens through development sessions on subjects such as how to support their practice, pricing work and seeking out opportunities, to practical hands-on experience through our Creative Partners (Our Partners, page 54) at art fairs, markets and exhibitions, and in responding to paid creative briefs. We take immense joy in following the journeys of all the creatives we work with and are proud to see what our alumni artists achieve.

As a non-profit, all of this would be impossible without the support of our customers. We take a lower than industry standard commission which goes towards the day-to-day running of our website and events, paying the majority of income from every sale direct to the creator. In doing so we hope that we are raising the expectations of the artists and creatives we work with, encouraging them to ask for what they deserve as well as supporting them in their early careers.

Lotte Dawson, Arts Programmer at Arts Students’ Union

Investing in future creatives

ABOUT MADE IN ARTS LONDON

Made in Arts London is a not-for profit enterprise founded by students for students. Nested within Arts Students’ Union, Made in Arts London was initiated by University of the Arts London (UAL) alumni Kate Rintoul and former Arts Students’ Union Sabbatical Officer Robyn Minogue. It was established by a group of UAL students in 2011.

Initially funded by the National Union of Students, it was designed as a sales platform for students to earn an income from their work while studying. Made in Arts London now also facilitates crucial professional development, industry advice, networking and exposure for UAL students, providing them with a vital foundation from which to enter the creative industries.

UAL is Europe’s largest arts education institution and includes Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. Our students and graduates are among the most respected in the world and Made in Arts London artists feature in major collections internationally.

collection annually, comprised of the work of current students (at the time of application) curated by a changing panel of industry professionals.

Artists and designers working in all media and disciplines are encouraged to apply, and successful applicants are awarded representation, with their work available to purchase online at madeinartslondon.com. Alongside this, we initiate opportunities for UAL students to learn how to sell their work online and at several external events. We do this through our own online shop and partnerships with a variety of creative organisations.

Made in Arts London also provides free workshops, networking activities, oneto-one advice and targeted promotion for all our artists and designers. We also work alongside a range of external partners, providing further opportunities through mentoring initiatives, monetary and material bursaries, and exclusive competitions. For more information about our partners, please turn to the back of this catalogue.

A consistent source of high quality, collectable art and design, Made in Arts London continues to enable our artists and designers to develop their skills and become self-sufficient at a crucial stage in their career, something which is more and more of a challenge for each new wave of graduates.

By supporting Made in Arts London you are directly nurturing the development and careers of the next generation of art and design talent.

Thank you.

artsprogramme@su.arts.ac.uk

WELCOME

We are delighted to welcome you to Made in Arts London. We wholeheartedly believe that UAL is only as good as the students who make it that good and Made in Arts London is one of the best platforms for showcasing what our students are so brilliant at. The programme nurtures the professional development of these selected students and recent graduates, helping them to achieve their goals and ambitions of exhibiting and selling their work. This is not to be understated in times of political and financial uncertainty, but our students have always been bold; they persevere

in times of adversity and their commitment to creativity in a vastly changing world is a sign of great hope. And we hope you find inspiration in our selected artists’ work.

Minna Ellis, Central Saint Martins Officer 2023–24 London College of Communication

Investing in future creatives

MEET THE PANEL

facilitator and producer from London who is also the founder of RIOT SOUP, an art collective for global majority women artists.

Instagram: @asmaeatsart Website: asmaistwani.com

LYLA MAEVE

Lylani Devorah aka Lyla Maeve (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, currently working for conscious creative studio KIND. Last year, they graduated from D&AD’s prestigious Shift night school, and they are also known for their frequent creative collaborations with The HudsonBec Group, Theatre Weekly and queer venue The Glory.

ELLIE SHORT

Ellie Short (she/her) studied Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Performance at London College of Fashion and was the 22/23 Union Affairs Officer at University of the Arts London Students’ Union, a role dealing with university-wide affairs. She says: ‘My main focus this year has been working on making UAL more inclusive and accessible, especially for disabled students. I organised Disabled History Month which included the Through Our Senses exhibition, a multisensory exploration of living with disability.’ During the role, Ellie also worked on projects to improve mental health support at the university and reduce isolation felt by disabled students.

Nibras Al-Salman

BA Ceramic Design - Central Saint Martins

Nibras Al-Salman’s Middle Eastern background and sensibility, and his engineering training, often manifest in his work. Decay and destruction, particularly in reference to buildings, seem to have special impact. This could be influenced by the decayed historic buildings in his native Iraq and the recent wars in the Middle East that have imposed a high price on life and living conditions. Curiously, there is beauty in decayed structures.

There is a sense of order and formality in the work which Al-Salman attributes to a Middle Eastern influence. Patterns and geometry often emerge, creating a rhythm that provides movement and unity. Al-Salman also identifies an austere quality in his work; there is an attempt to reduce adornment and decoration.

Some of the issues tackled by Al-Salman include the role of the war industry in promoting war, immigration and disconnection, censorship and environmental degradation.

Aliza Akbar

BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Print - London College of Fashion

Aliza Akbar is a Pakistani British-born artist based in London. With an upbringing in Glasgow and a strong Pakistani background, Akbar finds it imperative to include her culture within her work through all medias and scales to introduce experiences and lifestyles to those who are unknowing and to embrace the mingling and learning of different experiences.

The artist focuses heavily on daily emotions and life events, all of which mould and shape a person – from the lowest and darkest days to the most ecstatic. She allows viewers to go on a journey with her work, to connect and understand the feelings and events of others, which can be a rarity in an age when everyone is caught up in their own lives and strangers pass us by in a blur. It is important to pause and ponder on others in this world to keep in check with reality.

Akbar believes in creating art on topics that she feels strongly about, through the use of mixed-media painting, 3D sculpture and Mimaki printing onto fabrics to create textile designs. All of this allows her work to draw the viewer in, inviting them to create their own story and atmospheric interpretation from each of the artist’s pieces, and to go away inspired, thinking long after they leave the artwork.

Where Two Worlds Meet Acrylic paint on wood 10 x 10 cm (unframed)

Aliza Akbar

Nicky Backlund

BA Ceramic Design - Central Saint Martins

After enjoying a full and long career in the entertainment industry, Nicky Backlund decided to follow her passion for the creative arts, saying goodbye to the corporate world in 2019 and enrolling in the Art & Design Foundation course at Working Men’s College in Camden, where she first fell in love with ceramics, before moving on to Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins.

Backlund enjoys the challenge of creating both functional and decorative pieces. Her ‘Essence’ collection was created in response to a brief to create tableware for the Coal Office restaurant and was awarded a prize by Tom Dixon himself, who praised the connection that ‘Essence’ captures between the history and textures of the building and the food served.

Backlund’s latest body of work and her first fully self-directed project, Unseen Realities of Motherhood, was exhibited at the Lethaby Gallery as part of an exhibition campaigning to address issues faced by parents in higher education. The theme of motherhood is frequently present in her work, perhaps unsurprisingly as she is herself a mother of three, and our inspiration is often a reflection of ourselves. She plans to continue exploring the overarching theme of motherhood as the driving force of her work.

‘Essence’ collection

Deepika Chumber

BA Fine Art - Chelsea College of Art and Design

Deepika’s work revolves around merging different medias to create a new piece of mixed media artwork. She uses a lot of painting, sculpturing and photography to express her ideas of memory and life. She focuses on mixing sculpturing with painting to create 3D abstract patterns that allows the audience to experience the artwork beyond just sight by allowing the audience to touch the work. She also uses sound and light to help make the work more immersive by blending certain sounds like water and pulsing. She also focuses on using colour to invoke different emotions within the audience. A colour often used is red which has many connotations such as love, anger, danger, heat and passion.

Deepika’s themes usually evolve around memories and their relation to life, specifically the human experience. She focuses her artwork on the idea that both memories and life have no beginning and no end hence the various optical illusions created with pattern. She states that she wants her art to have a neverending sense of life and experience.

Lost Memories

Painting on canvas

90 x 90 cm (framed)

Original £700

Liam Dunne

MA Fine Art - Central Saint Martins

Liam Dunne focuses on the transient nature of things; humanity explored through its ephemeral life cycle and the effects of time on the mind and body.

His most recent project delved into the formation of identity in the ‘mirror stage’, wherein a person first recognises themselves as separate from their surroundings upon seeing their reflection, and how the psychological differs from the outer persona. He captured that through thickly sculpted flesh that retains wrinkles implanted by his fingertips, juxtaposed against the fragmented, disintegrating reflections showing the world through the mind; a memory or a dream – broken, imperfectly remembered.

Drawn more towards the latter idea, his paintings developed as moments captured through the lens of time. Never still nor not fully formed, they are not representations of a static sitter but rather part of a stream; entropy fracturing these fleeting moments in a person’s life. Everything is moving, and as time passes people look forward in fear and uncertainty and cling to the past, scrambling to retain an identity that was only true for a short period.

In the context of the universe, human life is comparable to a mayfly’s, yet there is beauty to be found and people are endlessly fascinating. It can be found in emotion, creativity or darkness, and the impact that humanity has on the planet. The world is shaped by it; Earth itself is a reflection of humanity. Dunne attempts to find something of all this through paint – the medium itself fluid and mouldable, a reflection of a reflection.

On The Brink Oil on wood

124 x 84 cm (framed) Original £6,000

George Dyer

BA (Hons) Photography - London College of Communication

George Dyer is a London-based artist who uses collage as a vehicle for exploring the intersection of masculinity, sexuality and placement. His practice considers the constraints imposed upon Black and brown men, but also recognises and celebrates the potential, achievement and worth of often misrepresented ethnic groups. He draws from memory and personal experiences, but also from the systems and attitudes (both historic and present day) that play into the reductive process of othering.

The bulk of Dyer’s artwork takes the form of digital collage and is created using original photography, archival and found images, typography, wallpaper, textiles and scanned material. His ever-evolving brand of ‘Identity Art’ blends vibrant colours with a hint of humour and nostalgia in order to coax the viewer to engage with the subject matter. He cites the American painter Kehinde Wiley and Dutch photographer and visual artist Ruud Van Empel as his main influences.

Dyer’s work has featured in numerous exhibitions including Peckham 24 festival (2023), ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries (2022), Power and Glory, Brady Arts Centre (2022), Art Basel (2023) and Photo Frome art festival (2023).

George Dyer

Ruaa Elmansuri

MRes Arts: Theory and Philosophy - Central Saint Martins

Ruaa Elmansuri is a Libyan artist and designer based in London, with skills in illustration and printmaking. Her educational journey is marked by notable achievements. She graduated from London College of Fashion in 2020 with a degree in Fashion Textiles with a specialisation in Print, before earning a distinction in her MRes Arts degree at Central Saint Martins in 2023, focusing on the Theory and Philosophy pathway.

Drawing inspiration from a rich tapestry of influences encompassing art, history, cultural heritage, fashion and pop culture, Elmansuri’s creative vision is both dynamic and multidimensional. Her artistic repertoire seamlessly encompasses various mediums, including digital illustration, collage and screen printing. These versatile tools not only push her artistic boundaries but also challenge viewers’ perspectives, creating a symphony of visual narratives. Her masterful amalgamation of diverse elements and perspectives within her creations fosters intricate layers of meaning and provokes contemplation.

Elmansuri’s overall visual aesthetic is centred on the potency of colour and its emotive impact. She adeptly orchestrates hues to evoke visceral reactions and forge an emotional connection with viewers. This approach translates into harmonious and captivating compositions that resonate on a profound level. As her artistic journey continues to evolve, Elmansuri’s work emerges as a testament. to her artistic prowess, innovative spirit and unwavering commitment to evoking transformative visual experiences.

Omisha Gandhi

MA Illustration and Visual Media - London College of Communication

Omisha Gandhi is an Indian artist, illustrator, musician and graphic designer based in London. With a background in fashion and textile design, Gandhi now pursues her MA in Illustration and Visual Media at UAL. Her multidisciplinary approach to image-making spans various media, including drawing, comics, animation, 3D rendering, sound arts and moving image. Gandhi’s art aims to create conversations around identity, self-exploration and the complexities of the mind and consciousness, all within colourful and engaging imagery that challenges the traditional notion of seriousness.

Gandhi’s current body of work explores abstract interpretations of the interior of the human mind. Her artwork aims to inspire conversations about the self, identity and the intricacies of the human mind, providing a unique perspective on the workings of the brain. Through her art, she encourages viewers to delve into the depths of their own minds and reflect on the nature of existence.

29.71 x 29.71 cm (unframed)

Edition of 80 + 1 AP

£80

Omisha Gandhi

Nikolaos Giannakakis

Foundation Diploma in Art & Design - Camberwell College of Arts

Nikolaos Giannakakis has always been fascinated with personal identity and drawing creativity from his own life. He was born in South Africa to Greek parents, and has spent time living in Athens, New York and now London. Giannakakis’s early paintings consisted predominantly of self-portraits, as a result of dealing with issues of self-love, acceptance and family relationships.

During his time studying the Meisner acting technique in New York, he was able to dig deeper and break through the defensive and self-protective barriers built up during his upbringing. This was a cathartic experience for him, which allowed him to connect further with his inner creative and aid in self-expression. After some time in London, Giannakakis decided to further his creative studies on a foundation course at Camberwell, using his discoveries and release from acting and pushing further.

His recent themes have been voyeurism and sexuality and, more importantly, he started to look at the self in the homoerotic, and the desire to be desired. Even though they have been areas of interest from an early age, he is only now exploring them as subjects for his work.

Giannakakis’s painting style can be described as fluid and intuitive, with big, energetic and colourful brushstrokes that are both descriptive and expressionistic.

Subject of Desire (study)

Oil paint and paper on wood

30.5 x 23 x 0.5 cm (unframed)

Original £3,900

Nikolaos Giannakakis

Astrid Harris

MA Fine Art: Painting- Camberwell College of Arts

Astrid’s work is concerned with themes of identity, freedom, and the connection to the self through the return to nature. Her introspective work considers the relationship of memory and emotion to landscape and the body.

She combines the use of oil paint and oil pastel on canvas to paint brooding and pensive semi-abstract seascapes, with ethereal representations and outlines of the female figure whose identity is never clear. Astrid considers how her painting process can emulate the unpredictable nature of landscape. Her paintings are made using a process of layering and removal of oil paint, as an embodiment of discovery and consciousness. She looks to create works that echo the powerful effects of being in the presence of water and nature.

These paintings offer a moment for pause and contemplation. Her paintings address the feelings of nostalgia and melancholy, and dive deep into the complicated emotions that are evoked when being in the presence of the sea, which create a barrier for true connection to the present moment and to identity.

Astrid draws upon theory such as The Sublime, coined by Edmund Burke; the philosophy of Formalism, and Ideas of The Unconscious and Nachträglichkeit by Freud; alongside the Extended Self by Belk when creating her large-scale landscapes.

Present Memory II Oil on Canvas 90 x 90 cm (unframed) Original £1,900

Rayya Fadlo Khuri

MA Fine Arts - Central Saint Martins

Rayya Fadlo Khuri is a London-based artist whose writing-based practice deconstructs her experiences with disability and whose painting-based practice re-interprets contemporary landscape painting.

Through the act of writing, Khuri uses her poetic voice to make folded A3 limited editions that discuss her personal experiences with disability and with the world at large. Her words assert her story, because after epileptic episodes she briefly lost her ability to speak. These words became an expression of self, and her editions are meant to be read aloud.

Through the act of painting, Khuri applies the principles of watercolour painting to oil, creating a minimalist stage that is emptied of commercial objects and enables the viewer to dream, alongside the painter. The paintings escape a tradition of landscape painting that is often tied to a particular locale, by embracing the liminal, unseen and forgotten. Khuri uses materiality in these large-scale oil paintings to express light through the act of mark-making, particularly in monochromatic blue and sepia tones.

Khuri earned a BFA at Pratt Institute in New York in 2021, majoring in Painting and minoring in Writing and Literature and Art History, leading a book club and interning at Artforum and AUB Library Archives Department, while on a Presidential Scholarship. Khuri then earned an MA at Central Saint Martins in Fine Arts in 2023, independently focusing on the written word and painting, again interning at Artforum, and publishing in ClassNotes magazine, while on an International Student Scholarship. After her MA, she is launching a magazine with a colleague, writing a novella entitled The Cafe and continuing to paint in a studio in east London.

Words On A Page

Ink on paper

29.7 x 42 cm (unframed)

Edition of 101

£15

Oscar Ling-Cottey

BA Illustration & Visual Media - London College of Communication

Originally from Bath, Oscar Ling-Cottey is a junior illustrator and graphic designer currently living and working in London. Ever since he first picked up a pen and paper, Ling-Cottey has had an affinity for drawing, and has recently graduated with a First Class BA degree. He produces art prints, clothing and other media through his brand ONE BAD DAY. Being dyslexic, Ling-Cottey often struggles to put his thoughts and feelings into words, and so instead he prefers to turn them into works of art and let the work speak for itself.

Ling-Cottey finds pleasure in using conventional tools for much of his illustrative creations, but when it comes to his signature ONE BAD DAY illustrations, he embraces digital art for its user-friendly nature and virtually limitless creative possibilities. These illustrations are characterised by a simplistic, hand-drawn style and revolve around the brand’s mascot Obdob, who experiences various unfortunate situations that could be the catalyst to a bad day. While some depictions are inspired by Ling-Cottey’s personal experiences, others venture into more exaggerated and imaginative scenarios. No matter who you are, everyone falls on hard times, and by portraying such themes through his artwork, LingCottey hopes to evoke feelings of unity and togetherness, as well as humour, because we could all do with a little laughter from time to time, particularly in today’s climate. As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine.

Gull Attack

A digital sketch for Oscar Ling-Cottey’s screen print, ‘Gull Attack’

Alexandra McKinney

BA Graphic Design - Camberwell College of Arts

Alexandra McKinney is a designer, writer and facilitator whose practice is concerned with creating work rooted in a combination of social justice and creative education. She works with the aim of showing consideration towards audiences who are not always taken into account by mainstream design.

McKinney specialises in print and publication design, but has also begun exploring how to implement creative writing and textile craft as a means of interacting with her audience. She also has experience teaching craft-based workshops, which has significantly influenced her practice, as shown in her recent work.

Drawing upon both research and lived experience, her current body of work takes a loving approach towards highlighting marginalised experiences and deconstructing the stigma around marginalised emotion. Whether it is being scolded for being ‘too angry’ in the face of oppression, or seeing the joy of one’s community be fetishised in mainstream media, McKinney analyses the ways in which the emotions of marginalised individuals are suppressed. She also explores how marginalised people can reconnect with and celebrate those emotions in spite of this oppression through a combination of craft, creative writing and participatory workshops. Ultimately, the goal is to show solidarity to those who have lived through this experience, as well as provide an emotional outlet.

Yes, I Am Angry uses collaborative poster-making and annotation to interrogate real events from McKinney’s life where she has been denied her anger, highlighting the many things a marginalised person would rather say when they opt to bite their tongue. Meanwhile, Angry/Joyful/Yes is a zine providing an introduction to the research behind McKinney’s work, as well as instructions for some of the creative workshops she has developed.

Yes, I Am Angry

Risograph and screenprint on 120 gsm paper 89.1cm x 84 cm (unframed)

Edition of 4

£550

Duong Thuy Nguyen

MA Fine Art - Central Saint Martins

Duong Thuy Nguyen is a Vietnamese multidisciplinary artist, curator and writer based in London, who explores the intricate connections between nature and urban environments. Her artistic practice delves into the profound impact of rapid urbanisation on the vanishing rural landscapes of northern Vietnam. Graduating from Central Saint Martins with a distinction, Nguyen’s Master’s Fine Art project was awarded as a winner of Maison/0 This Earth Award and shortlisted for the MullenLowe Nova award and given an honourable mention by the Cass Art prize in 2023.

Her insightful writings have been featured in publications such as Art & Market, Ocula Magazine and Plural Art. She was also the winner of the art writing competition FRESH TAKE 2023, hosted by Art & Market. She is the co-founder of An.OtherAsian, an artist collective that has curated and organised exhibitions at London venues including Ugly Duck and the Koppel Project in 2022. Notably, Nguyen curated the celebrated Dreams of a New Moon exhibition events in honour of Lunar New Year 2023 at Central Saint Martins.

Nguyen has contributed to various artist talks and panel discussions at prominent institutions such as the Migration Museum and the Museum of the Home, where she offers her valuable insights into the Southeast Asian art scene.

Pickled Houses

3D print, resin and metal

15 x 15 x 40 cm (unframed)

Cold Porridge

BA Illustration and Visual Media - London College of Communication

Cold Porridge is a series of works by multidisciplinary artist Karen Maley that focuses on social commentary from the perspective of her millennial, working class roots. Currently, themes include celebrity, technology and political issues with an added touch of dry wit. Cold Porridge frequently experiments with collage, enjoying the destruction of imagery and creating new narratives that drive conversations about various topics. For example, Force-Fed Celebs reflects the noticeable growth of TV celebrity travel programming during a cost of living crisis, and questions whether this is purely for the audience’s viewing pleasure or for the celebrities involved to enjoy an amazing free holiday.

Often drawing inspiration from her love of diverse music, Maley likes to play with aesthetics, selecting styles she feels suit the topic. As well as collage, the artist uses videography, sculpture and screen printing to express her ideas and is addicted to researching new methods. Once described as a ‘miserable child’, the use of the inexpressive baby portrait is a common element in the works, and portrays the air of despondency Maley feels living in the UK today.

Maley is consumed with creating bold, vibrant and humorous works to tell her story and, through Cold Porridge, will continue to spread the joys of disappointment across the country’s art fairs and galleries.

Weronika Przysada

MA Performance Design and Practice - Central Saint Martins

Weronika Przysada is a generally confused being. She is a transdisciplinary artist and a philosophy student. Although trained in the performative arts, she traverses diverse mediums, channelling themes into poetry, illustration and polemics.

Her theatrical work emerges from research into topics in philosophy, which are then transmuted onto the stage through storytelling technologies. In contrast, illustration is a way to decompress, switch off the cerebral functions and let the body, and the subconscious, speak. This is where she no longer researches, writes and critiques. This is a resting place. The illustrations often start as unplanned freehand sketches. They take shape as the hand follows immediate associations, evolving and changing direction along the way. Recently Przysada discovered this meditative quality within the practice of bookmaking and this collection is an attempt to marry these two techniques and create unique, handmade stationery.

The collection takes its name from the pituitary gland, a part of the brain that regulates hormonal processes. This creative practice serves as a tool to enter a meditative state, free from daily worries, and to regain control over her emotions. She upholds her distinctive drawing style, characterised by the use of fine lines on paper. Following the completion of the primary illustration, she ventures into digital design elements to explore diverse artistic mediums.

Currently, Przysada is pursuing a degree in philosophy, continuing to work in theatrical environments and resting by way of illustrating and bookmaking. In her spare time, she likes to read, pretend she enjoys yoga and emphasise that she is a generally confused being.

The

Joe Richardson

PGCert Academic Practice - Central Saint Martins

Joe Richardson’s paintings strive to capture stills of the daily fluctuations and interactions of nature and construction in acrylics, oil and dynamic collage to freeze the frenetic activity on the streets and canals that surround his studio. Richardson works with colour inspired by architecture in the south of France and Italian Renaissance painters, such as Titian, to illuminate the greyed-out quotidian scenes he draws upon in his immediate environment. Richardson’s observations operate in the space between the performance of an action and its anticipated outcome, for example, smashing glass, a character falling in a canal or a breakthrough in communication. His works perform as double acts, facades and stages that deconstruct everyday scenarios through repetition to the point of absurdity, to produce purgatorial experiences of waiting, spaces of absurd nothingness and the opportunity to navigate uncertainty.

Diana and Actaeon Oil on canvas board 63 x 42cm (unframed) Original £2,750

Joe Richardson

Charlie Russell

BA Fine Art: Painting - Camberwell College of Arts

Reflecting on experiences growing up in London’s social housing has led Charlie Russell to produce works which seek to uncover narratives and events within the home, specifically among the working class.

Experimenting between digital and the traditional medium of painting, her works have been described as ‘glitchy and organic’ in assessing how the two mediums communicate and address contemporary issues together. Russell uses organic material and building supplies to reveal some of London’s living conditions, with textures and shapes communicating concerns of social mobility and the aggressive spread of gentrification within London. Works call into question the availability of opportunities and harmful processes that exist.

The combination of contemporary issues with raw materials creates an immediacy to Russell’s work, stripping artificial and organic structures of their material properties to assess impacts on communities. She converts organic shapes into indeterminate forms as proposed living spaces, analyses of London landscapes and invitations into working-class homes, blurring the lines between stability and chaos, where domesticity meets claustrophobia.

Babysteps

Oil, acrylic, oil bar, wax, sand on canvas 120 x 100 cm (unframed)

Original £2,250

Charlie Russell

Kate Shorey

MA Fine Art - Central Saint Martins

Kate Shorey is a multi-disciplinary visual artist who recently graduated with her Master’s in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins with distinction, having also been awarded a scholarship by the University of the Arts London. She also has a BA in Photography from Falmouth University from where she graduated in 2017.

Her practice predominantly addresses the intrinsic link between societal and environmental issues, specifically the intersectionality of ecology, neurodiversity and queerness. Alternative and sustainable materials and processes are a key part of her practice. One of her ongoing projects, a series of cyanotypes, explores symbiosis and ecosystems.

This series aims to draw attention to the small but vital interactions that happen within our ecosystems every day that we are often oblivious to, yet are so important to our planet. Moss is added to the cyanotype along with other elements, such as soil and salt, which grows into salt crystals over the course of days. Micro-ecosystems resembling dystopian landscapes are formed, and the cyanotypes become alive – living and growing. Moss absorbs pollution and harmful particles from the air and is often the first life to grow after a forest fire, its existence enabling other life to return, playing a vital role in our ecosystems. As the sun rotates, UV light passes through the ecosystem, immortalising its growth and the interaction of its elements, thus making the elusive and ephemeral permanent in the resulting cyanotype.

Shorey also works as an arts educator and facilitator, and has been running creative courses and workshops for a range of organisations for the past six years, including art therapy sessions for the NHS. She has also participated in and contributed to a number of international participatory arts projects with schools and partner organisations from across Europe.

Kate Shorey

Gemma Smale

BA (Hons) Ceramic Design - Central Saint Martins

Gemma Smale is a ceramic artist researching the use of hand-sourced materials to reconnect consumers to ceramic art through place-making. Through her questioning of industrial clays, often never stating their original source, she wonders how this distances the value of the products that we buy. By grounding her work in familiar materials from familiar places, her work becomes a celebration of the land and its impurities by holding onto textural additions that would otherwise be removed through industrial clay manufacturing. She values regional art and the history of the land by intertwining these materials into the fabric of the clay body and the glaze. In this way, each piece values the different regional arts that have been lost through mass importation of materials across the world.

Current works are fired in a traditional wood fired kiln for multiple days where different wood ashes settle and glaze each piece in a completely unique way.

A variety of Gemma Smale’s designs in her studio, before being fired in the kiln

Ngai Ning Yu

BA Fine Art: Painting - Camberwell College of Arts

Ngai Ning Yu’s paintings explore the concept of ‘The Home’ in relation to memory and the contrast of presence and absence in a space touched by human intervention. Her paintings of uninhabited places reveal traces of human presence in what was left behind. These lingering shadows, unmade bedclothes, curtains, door handles, and objects associated with domestic interiors comment on the fleeting nature of existence and the passing of time being imprinted in a physical way.

In her paintings, the Hong Kong-born artist explores the construction of spaces that live on in memory. Subject matter is frozen in the stillness of a single moment, a state of being that cannot be returned to. The artist works from her photos and memories of places she once inhabited, thus creating indirect self-portraits that house a deeply nostalgic and lonely undertone. There is intimacy in bringing viewers into the privacy of the home interiors in her memory, yet the paintings also resemble archetypes of a space eerily familiar. It leaves viewers halfway without resolve in an anonymous, almost “template” place where the universal familiarity of these items can allow viewers to subconsciously resonate with the work.

“My paintings verbalise the hidden images that can be triggered by a certain sensory experience. Despite the detachment that comes from accumulation of lived experiences, certain triggers like the cast of light can bring me back to a memory or impression of home.” This peculiar manifestation of imagery from an emotional response forms the beginning of Yu’s creative process, and the grey area between memory and invention is where her paintings reside.

Yu has exhibited work internationally, most recently in the London shows “A Sense of Place” at Ogilvy Southbank and “Before Now, After Then” at Bargehouse Gallery. At 15 years old, Yu’s award-winning paintings exhibited in Hong Kong’s Chantal Miller Gallery and during Fine Art Asia at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

MEET THE DESIGNER, BHAIRAVI YOGASIVAM

Investing in future creatives

Bhairavi Yogasivam, a recent graduate from Central Saint Martins, worked with the Arts Programme team and Graphic Designer Marina Marbella at Arts SU as the Student Marketing Designer to create our catalogue design and graphic elements.

As an architecture student from Central Saint Martins, my journey through the years of study has allowed me to discover a love for using Adobe Illustrator to add detail and graphic style to my work. What initially started as a means to enhance my architectural projects gradually evolved into a newfound interest in illustration. With this catalogue cover, I had the opportunity to design something beyond my usual architectural and spatial-based comfort zone.

I approached this year’s design by delving into the themes I noticed in the pieces featured in the catalogue, seeking inspiration for my artwork. Among the various ideas, the concepts of ‘home’ and ‘snapshot moments of everyday life’ stood out to me. These themes seemed to encapsulate the essence of domesticity in London, and I knew they would form the basis of my design.

The process began with sketching out initial designs that would link the idea of home to the vibrant nature of the city.

I thought that it was important for me to create a harmonious blend that conveyed a sense of belonging and comfort, while also capturing the dynamic energy of urban living. As I moved from sketches to digital illustration, I explored different compositions and palettes, refining it until I was satisfied with the final result. To add an extra layer of intrigue, I decided to include hidden ‘Easter eggs’ of other underlying themes within the cover. These small details would not only be meaningful to me but would also allow other viewers to potentially discover their own connections and interpretations.

It is my hope that it will resonate with the audience, evoking a shared sense of belonging and appreciation for the beauty found in the simplest aspects of life. Enjoy!

Bhairavi Yogasivam, Student Marketing Designer

Our Partners

Made in Arts London works with a carefully selected range of companies, brands and organisations, collaborating to provide support and opportunities for our artists and designers. We would like to thank:

Arts SU is a student-led, non-profit organisation providing help, support, representation and opportunities to UAL’s 20,000 students across six colleges all over London. Made in Arts London is a project of Arts SU.

University of the Arts London is Europe’s largest specialist arts and design university, founded in 2004 and consisting of six colleges across London: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. Made in Arts London works with students and graduates from across all six UAL colleges.

TM Lighting is a leading international art lighting specialist, manufacturing high colour rendition LED accent lights and picture lights. TM Lighting works throughout the arts sector, from galleries and museums to historic houses, and hosts a programme of exhibitions at their King’s Cross gallery supporting both established and emerging artists.

Cass Art, the UK’s leading art supplies retailer, is a longtime supporter of Made in Arts London and Arts SU. Each year, Cass Art awards a Made in Arts London artist the Cass Art Materials Bursary. One artist receives £500 of art materials and additional promotion of their work to support their practice.

Investing in future creatives

Metro Imaging offers the most comprehensive range of creative imaging services in the UK. It has also developed a programme designed to encourage and support emerging artists and photographers. Metro is proud to partner with Made in Arts London with its annual mentorship prize which is open to all final year UAL students.

Made in Arts London is kindly provided with an exhibition space to showcase a collection of our artists at Hampstead Affordable Art Fair each summer. Made in Arts London also provides workshops, installations and tours throughout the fair.

Free Range is a special project started by the Truman Brewery in 2000, focusing on showing graduate art and design from universities across the UK to spotlight current emerging artists, culminating in the largest graduate showcase in Europe. With the addition of the awards, talks and multiple partnerships. Free Range provides professional industry exposure opportunities for graduate artists to connect with their peers and, for the majority, the chance to execute their first show post-

BRINGING ART TO LIGHT

Photography: Andrew Beasley

FRIEZE, LONDON

TM Lighting illuminated the world-renowned contemporary art fair, Frieze London. This project encompassed lighting all galleries and concourses, supplying the highest quality of light for a fraction of the energy use and associated carbon footprint.

State-of-the-art TM GalleryOneThirty spotlights and TM GalleryOneSixty floodlights illuminated the whole fair, creating a textured yet consistent lighting experience for all galleries participating in the event. The use of our spotlights at Frieze this year reduced the energy usage by more than 5000 kWh, halving the energy use on lighting by approximately half.

Transforming Art Collections in Great British Treasure Houses, Galleries and Museums, Private Collections, Public Landmarks, and Your Historic Home.

TM Gallery130 Spotlight

The GalleryOneThirty(G130) is a track mounted high performance LED spot light suitable for high ceiling spaces, typical in museums and galleries. The G130 provides 98+ CRI high colour rendition, and features quick change lenses to vary the beam width with simplicity. Available with 9, 25, 36, 60, linear spreader lenses, and colour temperature shifting lenses. The ultra-narrow beam of 9 degrees provides precise control for lighting sculptures and installations. Local dimming allows for ultimate control to set conservation Lux levels.

+44 (0) 207 278 1600

INVESTING IN FUTURE CREATIVES