Aesthetica Art Prize 2021
The Aesthetica Art Prize is a celebration of works that redefine the parameters of contemporary art. The annual prize, now in its 14th year, provides a platform for both established and emerging practitioners from across the globe, supporting and enhancing their careers through £6000 prize money, exhibition, publication and talent development.
The Art Prize longlists and shortlists works submitted from thousands of entries each year from across the globe, and is open to works in any genre, and on any theme, however, it is particularly interested in works that reflect upon our ever changing world. Two of my images were shortlisted as finalists for Aesthetica Magazine’s 2021 Aesthetica Art Prize.
The Aesthetica Art Prize poses questions about what it means to exist in a digitised, post-industrial landscape, as well as the effects of over-consumption, media stimulation, globalisation, and the climate crisis. The prize offers works that challenge us – that redefine the parameters of contemporary art and compel audiences to connect with one another. Winning pieces have reflected upon both social and political structures, questioning the value that we place on the planet and each other. They have pushed the boundaries of form and technique, providing a new set of possibilities and ideas.
The works in this year’s exhibition are unearthing the intricate layers of what it means to be alive today, with themes such as the pandemic, climate crisis, colonial histories, racism, new technologies and the impact it has on our lives. The pieces draw on both personal and universal narratives and in many ways that unique blend of the macro and the micro makes this exhibition immediate, compelling and highly relevant for the times in which we live.
An exhibition of the shortlisted artists’ works ran from May 28 to September 5, 2021, at the York Art Gallery in the city of York, England.
A precursor to the exhibition is the four-day Future Now Symposium , which ran from April 28-May 1, 2021. I participated in the symposium through a live Artist Talk along with six other shortlisted artists.
The four images above (click on image to enlarge) are in situ photos from opening day of the exhibition (thanks to Jim Poyner Photography). The two topographic images of mine featured in the exhibition, “The Fall” and “Twins”, reflect on the impact human constructs have on the landscape and the environment.
