Platform is a coalition of visual arts organisations in the South East, consisting of Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Portsmouth’s Aspex, Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion, Milton Keynes’ MK Gallery and Oxford’s Modern Art Oxford, and has been initiated by CVAN SE (Contemporary Visual Art Network South East). Every year each organisation selects graduates from within their immediate geographical reach for their exhibitions. One Platform artist from each gallery will be put forward to be considered for the Platform Graduate Award 2016 consisting of an prize of £2,500 and a year-long professional development and creative mentoring award. The overall Platform Award winner from across the five South East venues will be announced on 7th December at a ceremony at Turner Contemporary in Margate.
The 2016 shortlisted artists are:
- Olive Sanderson, University of Northampton, shortlisted by Milton Keynes Gallery
- Daniel Owusu, University of Kent, shortlisted by Turner Contemporary
- Eleanor Pearch, University of Brighton, shortlisted by De La Warr Pavilion
- Nacheal Catnott, University of Reading, shortlisted by Modern Art Oxford
- Sian Hutchins, Arts University Bournemouth, shortlisted by Aspex
Olive Sanderson, who recently graduated from the University of Northampton with a Fine Art BA (Hons) degree, had his work shown in an exhibition at Milton Keynes Gallery in October. Of his work Olive says:
“Within my artistic practice, inseparable from my life, I am bringing into question social norms (the way we do things) and folkways (why we do things) by altering my daily life. Using my own routines as a medium I present possible change to normality. Creating new rules for my life and asking questions about the ego, the self and identity.”
Read an article about Olive published for the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.