Luke George and Elizabeth Rose have been named the winners of the Griffin Art Prize 2013. This young couple – the first collaborative artists to win the prize – met at City and Guilds of London Arts School and currently work together in Faversham.
Luke and Elizabeth competed with nine other shortlisted artists for the prize, which includes use of an exclusive studio space in West London. Luke and Elizabeth work together on their pieces, driven by their connection to one another and a shared enthusiasm to work towards a united vision. They are constantly investigating the possibilities of materials and whether any mark that they make on a canvas is a ‘happy accident’ that takes their artwork in an entirely new direction, or whether a fresh start is in order. This journey of discovery inspired their exploration into paint and mixed media with their award winning work, Gate (2013).
“This feels like the beginning of a new story. We don’t know how the story will develop but we are looking forward to moving from Faversham to London to take up the residency in this fantastic workspace. The beauty is in the unknown. It is lovely to feel so supported as we enter into this great adventure.” – Luke George and Elizabeth Rose
The prize is an independent annual award aimed at supporting the UK’s most talented emerging artists and is open to anyone who has graduated from university or art college within the last five years. The work from the ten shortlisted artists is on display in the Griffin Gallery until 29 November.
Luke and Elizabeth were awarded the one-off opportunity to take up a six-month residency in a large well-lit studio. The studio is above the gallery and adjacent to the Innovation & Development laboratory of leading global art brands Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Conté à Paris, where high quality art materials are refined and developed using the latest technology and innovation. They will also be given the opportunity to exhibit new work in a solo show in September 2014.
Becca Pelly-Fry, Griffin Gallery Director, says:
“Luke and Elizabeth show great potential and a great deal of confidence for a pair of young emerging artists. I am really excited to see what comes out of their residency. The Griffin Gallery, along with our sponsors Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Conté à Paris, is looking forward to starting this supportive process, where we will work closely with them over their six month residency.”
The judging panel based their decision on innovation and potential and was made of freelance arts writer Jessica Lack, Director of the Shoreditch based Charlie Smith Gallery, Zavier Ellis, Scottish painter Andrew Grassie and Jenny Lindén Urnes, Owner and Chairman of Lindéngruppen, a family business based in Sweden, focusing on long-term development of industrial companies, including Winsor & Newton, Conté à Paris and Liquitex.
Zavier Ellis, Griffin Art Prize 2013 Judge and Director, CHARLIE SMITH London, said:
“We are very pleased to present the Griffin Art Prize to Luke George & Elizabeth Rose. The quality of applicants was very high this year and the shortlist was varied in style, medium and genre so it was not easy. However, we were impressed with the way that George and Rose have harnessed the history of abstraction whilst giving us something technically new and visually engaging. It will be intriguing to see how they utilise the studio space with access to the expertise of Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Conté à Paris, as their practice is very much based on experimentation with materials.”
The work on show in the Griffin Art Prize 2013 Shortlist Exhibition includes a wide range of media from painting and drawing, to photography, printmaking and installation. The shortlisted artists include Eleanor Bedlow, Emily Moore, Mary Wintour, Luke George & Elizabeth Rose, Helen Frank, Nicole Wong, Rae Hicks, Scott Robertson, Susannah Douglass and Yuhwa Son.
The Griffin Gallery is an exciting art space located in West London at the head office of some of the world’s finest artist materials: Winsor & Newton; Liquitex and Conté à Paris. The gallery uses its independence to support emerging artists and explore the cutting edge of contemporary art and craftsmanship.
The shortlist exhibition will tour to High House gallery, Oxon in January 2014 and to White Moose in Devon in February 2014.