A returning annual exhibition at York Art Gallery will showcase 21 artists from around the world – who are redefining the parameters of contemporary art.
The Aesthetica Art Prize is one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for new talent.
This year’s nominees explore the evolving relationship between humans and the natural world, and draw attention to issues such as the climate crisis, the impact of technology, colonial legacies, and inequality.
The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition runs at York Art Gallery from Friday 16 February to Sunday 21 April 2024.
Featured artists will include photographers Jee Young Lee, whose photography series Stage of Mind plays with scale and surrealist elements, and Margeaux Walter, whose series Don’t Be a Square asks questions about layering and liminal spaces.
Film is widely represented, including works by artists Hussina Raja, Kenji Ouellet, and Atonia Luxem. Innovative sculptural works fill the gallery space, including works by Mo H. Zareei and Cinzia Campolese.
The winners, chosen by a selected jury panel, will receive £10,000 prize money, exhibition and publication as well as further opportunities for development.
Cherie Federico, director of the Art Prize, said: “Contemporary art can change the world and here in York, which is a global UNESCO City of Media Arts, we are doing just that.
“It’s unexpected for York to be the destination for global conversations around contemporary artistic practice, but we are pushing the envelope with powerful works and bold programming that looks at every facet of life in the 21st century. The pieces on display are timely, immediate and necessary.”
The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition will run from 16 February. Tickets for the exhibition can be booked in advance on the York Art Gallery website.