The Platform Graduate Award 2017

CVAN South East is delighted to reveal the five artists shortlisted for the Platform Graduate Award 2017. The artists are:

• Sophie Barber (University of Brighton at Sussex Coast College Hastings), nominated by De La Warr Pavilion
• Elizabeth Cahill (University of Hertfordshire), nominated by MK Gallery
• Nathan Caldecott (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford), nominated by Modern Art Oxfor
• Stephen Foy-Philp (Canterbury Christ Church University), nominated by Turner Contemporary
• Svetlana Ochkovskaya (Southampton Solent University), nominated by Aspex

For Platform 2017, forty-one graduate artists from universities across the South East region were selected and exhibited at the five partner galleries – Aspex in Portsmouth, De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, Modern Art Oxford and Turner Contemporary in Margate – all members of CVAN South East. From their respective exhibitions, each participating gallery nominated one artist to be considered for the award.

Paul Hobson, Director, Modern Art Oxford and Chair, CVAN South East said:

‘Congratulations to all five nominated artists who have shown great passion, creativity and skill, and have produced impressive exhibitions with the support of the teams at each participating gallery. Now in its sixth year, the Platform Graduate Award continues to offer a vital professional development opportunity to graduates embarking on their artistic careers. Developing the South East arts ecology by supporting artists and art practice is a strategic priority for Modern Art Oxford and the other partners within the CVAN South East network.’

Guest selector and Turner Prize 2017 nominated artist Rosalind Nashashibi will announce the winner of this year’s award on Saturday 9 December at a special event at Modern Art Oxford. The award includes a £2,500 bursary towards the development of the artist’s practice and bespoke mentoring from artist Jonathan Parsons.

You can see Sophie Barber’s fantastic ‘Phil’ paintings in our Rooftop Foyer, open until Sunday 5 November. Click here for more information.