Now in its third year, the Platform Graduate Award 2014 profiles new talent emerging from universities and colleges in the South East region. Joella Wheatley was the first winner of the Platform Graduate Award; receiving the accolade at Modern Art Oxford, in 2012, and has recently had her first solo exhibition at aspex. The Platform Graduate Award is working as part of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network, South East.
This includes five galleries in South East England – aspex, Portsmouth; De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill; the aforementioned Modern Art Oxford; MK Gallery, Milton Keynes and Turner Contemporary, Margate – each showcase the work of recent graduates from their region, selected from university and college degree shows.
One of the main goals of the Platform project is to develop successful ways for artists to further their practice following graduation. Each gallery puts forward the work of one graduate who will be considered for the Platform Award 2014,comprising a £2500 financial award for the emerging artist and a year of mentoring from an experienced art professional.
Curatorial and learning staff from the five participating galleries select from degree shows at their local art colleges – choosing from across a range of mediums – and offer graduates the chance to be included in the Platform exhibitions. This includes working closely with gallery staff at every stage of the process and, in doing so, the graduates gain valuable skills and insight into what it takes to work as a professional artist.
Director of aspex, Joanne Bushnell, said “Projects like Platform help us fulfil one of our main objectives as an organisation, which is to support emerging artists. By cooperating with other galleries in the South East, we can combine our resources and work together to demonstrate the depth and breadth of artistic talent in the region to the wider art world”.
preview of the exhibition held on 5 September, The aspex Platform Graduate on 6 September util 9 November at aspex main gallery Portsmouth