One of Yorkshire’s most prestigious annual exhibitions celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
The acclaimed Ones To Watch exhibition at the Sunny Bank Mills Art Gallery in Farsley, between Leeds and Bradford, is now open and runs until April 30th. It is focused on talented young artists with Yorkshire connections.
Creative Director Jane Kay is continually inspired and impressed by the talent produced in Yorkshire.
She explained: “The exhibition is for artists who either study in, or are from, Yorkshire and are up to a year postgraduation. There are 38 artists involved this year, selected from a record number of nearly 200 applications, and the standard is very high indeed.
“For the last three years we have invited professional curators and arts practitioners to help us select the exhibiting artists from the applications received on Curator Space. This helps provide a balanced choice, gives the students exposure to creative professionals outside Sunny Bank Mills and broadens the experience of our own curatorial team. We are delighted to have had the team from the Yorkshire Sculpture Park assisting us this year.”
Ones to Watch 2023 features a number of different disciplines and media, including painting, sculpture, film, photography, installation, ceramics, textiles, fashion and design, with handmade quilts sitting alongside hi-tech digital work.
The exhibition explores topics across politics, the environment, social issues and sexuality and include a consideration of erosion of the East Coast, the emergence of ostrich farming in South Yorkshire, the first gay pride march north of London in Huddersfield and the development of artificial intelligence.
Jane recalled: “The first Ones To Watch exhibition included artists from Leeds College of Art. Since then, the opportunity has become an open call and has grown to include emerging artists who are studying in - or from any part of – Yorkshire and includes higher education establishments across the County. It has supported over 300 artists, many of whom have gone on to exhibit elsewhere, exhibited again with us and have remained in Yorkshire. We are very proud of this record.”
“Ones to Watch is also representative of one of the core values of the Gallery; supporting and mentoring regional artists by providing them with space to exhibit, sell and make work. By offering studio space to artists as awards for the Judges’ Selection Prize and the Visitors’ Choice Prize it provides students with space to create for a short time; a valuable resource after graduation and helping to retain talent in the region.
Other of our Ones To Watch artists go on to exhibit or work at the Gallery including current employees Sonia Moran and Millie Rothera.”
This year’s line-up features: Abi Charlesworth, Alice Chen, Amelia Klein, Amy D’Agorne, Amy Middlemiss, Anna Turner, Astrid Butt, Bianca Wallis-Salmon, Celeste Drouin-Davis, Danielle Kalinovskis, Darcey Axon, El Chettleburgh, Eliza Evans, Ella Joy Nelson, Ellis Murrell, Florian Hynam, Fran Chambers, George Storm Fletcher, Grace Clifford, Innes Thompson, Izzy Webb, Jack Osmond, Jesse McMahon, Joanne Tiffany, Kai Brooks, Lily Orset, Lewis Andrews, Lucy Cross (LUCE), Lucy Dewsnap (Bearsuit), Maja Novak, Manuela Amey, Millie Thompson, Molly Huxley, Molly Newham, Nell Tomlinson, Oran Rose O’Sullivan, Tiegan Handley, Zoe Maxwell.
Ones To Watch 2022 runs at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery until April 30th. For further information about opening hours, please visit www.sunnybankmills.co.uk
