Scottish Arts Council invests in visual arts’ rising stars
15/01/2008
Seven visual artists have received major awards from the Scottish Arts Council to support research, experimentation and the development of new ideas and significant projects.
Rose Frain, Katy Dove, Ilana Halperin, Nick Evans, Scott Myles, Torsten Lauschmann and Michael Wilkinson have each received £15,000 from the Visual Artists’ Awards Scheme, as part of the Scottish Arts Council’s commitment to supporting artists to fulfil their creative and business potential.
The selected artists work in a range of disciplines, from sculpture, painting and printmaking to mixed media installations and filmmaking, and were awarded funding based on the quality and ambition of their work. All of the artists had work featured in major exhibitions in the UK and abroad in 2007 and have solo and group shows planned for 2008.
Among the artists receiving support are Glasgow based artist, filmmaker and live performer Torsten Lauschmann whose previous work includes the web based project World Jump Day, a hoax event which encouraged people around the world to jump simultaneously in an attempt to shift the earth's orbit and reverse global warming which sparked physics debates by scientists and bloggers across the globe.
Ilana Halperin’s practice focuses on drawing, etching, geology and limestone carvings exploring geological oddities and their relationship with daily life. In 2007 her work featured in a number of major shows including Infinite Orogeny, a two person show with Adam Putnam at Studio Visconti, Milan. Last year Ilana took part in the Alchemy Fellowship at Manchester Museum and will exhibit her work in a solo show at the museum later in the year.
Commenting on receiving support from the Scottish Arts Council Ilana Halperin said: ‘I am honoured and extremely happy to be a recipient of a Visual Artists’ Award. The award will enable me to explore an idea in real life, that otherwise would have remained as a day dream.
‘I will be looking into the question, how might one explore geological time through an arts practice - experimenting with how to incorporate geological time - for example slow time in petrifying caves and fast time in lava flows, into the development of physical geological art works.’
Previous recipients of the Visual Artists’ Awards include Glasgow-based sculptor Karla Black who won the £10,000 Perrier Jouet Award for Best Artist at Zoo in October and painter Carol Rhodes' whose landscape paintings are currently being exhibited at her first museum show at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh until 24 February.
Commenting on this round of awards Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts at the Scottish Arts Council said: ‘The Visual Arts Department promotes Scotland as a centre of excellence in and for the visual arts, nationally and internationally. The quality of work being produced by artists in Scotland today is exceptionally high and this was evident in the proposals that we received for the 2007 Artists’ Awards. It was difficult to make a final selection but we are delighted to be supporting these artists in recognition of the skills, vision and imagination they bring to their work.
‘We look forward to seeing their projects develop and wish them every success in the coming year.’
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Arts Council serves the people of Scotland by fostering arts of excellence through investment, development, research and advocacy. Our corporate aims are: to support artists to fulfil their creative and business potential; to increase participation in the arts; and to place the arts, culture and creativity at the heart of learning. We invest £60m each year, including £15 million of National Lottery funding. For more information visit: www.scottisharts.org.uk
- For more information on the artists visit:
Contact email(s)
media.office@scottisharts.org.uk
Issued by: Scottish Arts Council
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