The Freelands Painting Prize 2022 exhibition presents works by the eleven winners of our annual competition for final year art students.
Selected from nominations by fifty universities across all four nations of the United Kingdom, the paintings featured in this exhibition reflect the diverse interests and concerns of contemporary art students — from playful subject matter to more serious issues. They also range in approach, from figurative to abstract styles, with visible influences from a variety of genres including social realism, surrealism and mid-century English modernism.
The winning artists were selected by a jury including artist Simeon Barclay, artist
Louise Giovanelli, writer Matt Price (founder of Anomie Publishing) and curator Habda Rashid (Fitzwilliam Museum and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge).
“The interest and creative power of Painting, delineating ideas with pigments in a space be it a canvas or beyond, endures amongst students and audiences…who celebrate the vast array of possibilities that this medium offers.”
- Habda Rashid
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication featuring essays by jurors Habda Rashid and Matt Price.
Installation view of Freelands Painting Prize 2022, October 2022. Photo: Ben Westoby
The winners of the Freelands Painting Prize 2022 are:
The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL – Okiki Akinfe
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee – Rachel Bride Ashton
Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David – Adam Charlton
Belfast School of Art, Ulster University – Natalie Joanna Gibson
Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University – Emma Hall
Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University – Gregory Howard
City and Guilds of London Art School – Finn Johnson
Goldsmiths, University of London – Bomi Kim
Middlesex University – Fa Razavi
Solent University – Daisy Steed
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai – Shauna Weldon Taylor
See the full list of institutions and their nominated artists here.
Rachel Bride Ashton
Discover some of the different music that inspires the winning artists and their practices:
Banner image: Design by Sarah Boris, 2022
