BA HONS FINE ART 2023 UNI VER SITY OF SUN DER LAND

Foreword

Welcome to the University of Sunderland BA Fine Art Exhibition 2023.

This exhibition features work by graduating BA students alongside an open studio event by our MA Fine Art students. I would like to congratulate all involved on producing a fantastic exhibition and thank all the staff who have supported them in what has been another excellent year. This year, we have welcomed new members of staff Fiona Larkin and Natalie Gale, who make a fantastic addition to our Fine Art family.

Our BA Fine Art students have participated in projects with Sunderland Culture at the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art (NGCA). The students responded to works in the ‘Mark Pinder’ ‘Macromancy’ exhibition and as part of the exhibition ‘Rimaldas Vikšraitis: Daily Rituals of Work and Play – The Collective Life of a Village 1975-2012’ at NGCA the students presented their own digital artwork exploring the photographs on display.

Sunderland Fine Art students also benefitted from a vibrant programme of exhibitions, talks and workshops by visiting artists who have offered insights into contemporary working practices to our students. While our inaugural series of micro residencies provided artists James Stephen Wright, Sophie Buxton and Kate Liston with access to our RISOs in our self-publishing lab and our Priestman Gallery, to explore the RISO printing process and experiment ideas of how this can be used in a gallery context with our students. If you visit: https://www.instagram.com/sunderlandfineart/ you will see it has been a successful & productive year. I wish all the graduating students’ success in their future art careers. As Joseph Beuys said: “Man is only truly alive when he realizes he is a creative, artistic being.”

James Hutchinson BA Fine Art Programme Leader University of Sunderland