Kleinwort Hambros launches second Emerging Artist Prize

Date: 17 Feb 2021

Citywealth

Kleinwort Hambros has announced the launch of its second Emerging Artist Prize to recognise rising talent in contemporary art across the UK.

The Kleinwort Hambros Emerging Artist Prize was originally launched in 2019 to reward the work of a contemporary regional artist selected from across the UK. This year, in recognition of the challenging economic and social environment, as well as acknowledging the wealth of talent in the UK, Kleinwort Hambros has decided to reward three artists, rather than one.

The award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the next generation of artists who have been active on the art scene and whose career would benefit from the visibility and financial support. The candidates are British nationals or UK based, 35 years or under, with a body of work that shows significant originality and coherence. The 15 candidates will be nominated by five talented curators from institutions across the UK.

The jury, composed of prestigious names from the UK art scene, including Sarah Brown, Principle Keeper of Leeds Art Gallery, Andrew Nairne, Director of Kettle’s Yard at the University of Cambridge, Melanie Keen, Director of the Iniva, London, Fiona Bradley, Director of the Fruitmarket Gallery and Aurelie Deplus, Head of Contemporary Art Collection and Cultural Projects at Societe Generale, will choose the three winners in March.

The 2019 winner was London-based Evan Ifekoya in recognition of the creative originality and urgency of her artistic output, exploring issues of gender, community and identity through complex art installations, performance, sound and video work. Evan said at the time: “The biggest thanks goes to KH for providing this incredibly important prize. I’m looking forward to putting this money towards building a sustainable practice. To be sitting in a room with peers I respect and admire, Larry Achiampong, Freya Dooley and Joy Labinjo to name a few, helps me know that we are all part of a really special moment in time!”

“Along with our parent company, Societe Generale, who has been an active patron of Contemporary Art for over 20 years, we recognise the importance of supporting up and coming artists, particularly during these challenging times. This initiative complements our nationwide approach to serving clients, with an active presence in key regions, including London, Newbury, Cambridge, Leeds and Edinburgh. It also reinforces our vision to be a leading responsible bank for client service and expertise, driven by creativity and innovation”, commented Mouhammed Choukeir, CEO of Kleinwort Hambros.

“While we’re proud that the Emerging Art Prize is the only award from a UK private bank to highlight young contemporary artists across the UK regions, this year we are also particularly pleased to be able to extend the financial support and reward the work of three artists”, added Mr Choukeir.