News
What We Do Is Secret: Contemporary Art and the Antinomies of Conspiracy - Larne Abse Gogarty
Larne Abse Gogarty has a new book, What We Do Is Secret: Contemporary Art and the Antinomies of Conspiracy, published by Sternberg Press.
Written in the wake of the far-right populist turn in Europe, the US, and beyond, What We Do Is Secret addresses aesthetic and intellectual affinities between recent art and conspiracy, proposing a theory of conspiracy that is not primarily concerned with conspiracy theory. This inquiry takes shape across chapters on the politics of post-internet art aesthetics; the sublime and possessive individualism in recent “critical” art; Cady Noland’s security fences, and silkscreens of the Symbionese Liberation Army; and mutuality, secrecy, and improvisation in the work of Ima-Abasi Okon. Larne Abse Gogarty discusses the relationship between culture and contemporary politics, following on from David Lloyd’s proposition that through its compensatory qualities, the aesthetic sphere naturalizes forms of life lived under the rule of property. What kind of art can work against this? Can art exist as a conspiracy capable of corroding that rule?
See the Sternberg Press website for more information.
Deep Horizons - MIMA
©Onya McCausland
Onya McCausland is showing in Art + Social: Deep Horizons presented by the Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) and the Roberts Institute of Art, 10 March - 18 June 2023.
Bringing work together from the Middlesbrough Collection and the Roberts Institute of Art, the exhibition starts with the topic of excavation to present sculpture, drawing, painting, installation, ceramics, photography and moving image from the last 90 years. The show also includes work by alumni Paula Rego and John Stezaker.
Colour & Poetry: A Symposium V
Colour & Poetry: A Symposium V 21st - 22nd March 2023 is a cross- and inter-disciplinary two-day virtual event held by the Slade School of Fine Art, in celebration of International Colour Day, World Poetry Day and World Pigment Day. For full details, see the Colour & Poetry event page. Book via Eventbrite.
Bhajan Hunjan shortlisted for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women 2022-24
Photo of Bhajan Hunjan: Bruno Cattani Photography. Courtesy Collezione Maramotti.
Congratulations to alumna Bhajan Hunjan, who has been shortlisted for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women 2022-24. The winner will be announced on 28 March 2023 at the Whitechapel Gallery, London.
The Max Mara Art Prize for Women, in collaboration with Whitechapel Gallery is a biannual award established in 2005. It is the only visual art prize of its kind and aims to promote and support artists identifying as women based in the UK, enabling them to develop their potential with the gift of time and space. The winner is awarded a six-month Italian residency tailored to fit the artist and their winning proposal for the Prize. During the residency, which is organised by Collezione Maramotti, the artist has the opportunity to realise an ambitious new project which is presented in major solo exhibitions at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, UK and at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Read more on the Whitechapel Gallery website.
Photo of Bhajan Hunjan: Bruno Cattani Photography. Courtesy Collezione Maramotti.
Stanley Jones MBE (1933 - 2023)
We were very sad to hear of the passing of Stanley Jones, who was a student at the Slade from 1954 to 1956 and later a tutor in printmaking from 1958 to 1998. Our thoughts and condolences to his family and friends.
Future Greats 2023: Mataio Austin Dean
Alumnus Mataio Austin Dean has been selected as one of Art Review magazine's Future Greats 2023. Read the article by Larry Achiampong in Art Review, 8 February 2023.
Bindu Mehra nominated for Cannes Shorts Award
Congratulations to PhD student Bindu Mehra who has been nominated for Best Editing for her film The Inaccessible Narrative (edited and directed by Bindu Mehra) at the Cannes Shorts awards. See the Cannes Shorts website for details.
Seeing in the Dark - Locks Gallery
©the artist
Seeing in the Dark paintings by Kate Bright is showing at Locks Gallery, 600 S Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA 19106, from 8 February - 18 March 2023. See the Locks Gallery website for details.
Silencios entre el mar, los ríos y montañas - Goodman Gallery
courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery
Alumnus Paolo Salvador has a solo show, Silencios entre el mar, los ríos y montañas, at the Goodman Gallery, 26 Cork Street, London W1S 3ND, from 25 January - 25 February 2023. See the Goodman Gallery website for more information.
Breathe for Ella, South Bank, 15 February 2023
Dryden Goodwin’s ‘Breathe’ animation will be projected large-scale on the Rambert Building, South Bank on 15 February to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah – the first person in the world to have ‘air pollution’ listed as a cause of death. It will light up the night sky from dusk (circa 6pm) till dawn (circa 7am) for three nights. See the Invisible Dust website for more information.
Dryden Goodwin - MANIFEST initiative
photo by Fynn Cole-Goodwin, courtesy Invisible Dust
Dryden Goodwin is one of the three artists who will be working on the first iteration of MANIFEST, a new initiative to evaluate the role of art in policy.
MANIFEST is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to evaluate artistic approaches and effects relevant for policy, and how artists can work with policymakers to channel those dimensions to improve the process of policymaking.
It will explore and evaluate whether and how art can play a role in policymaking, including:
- Manifesting complex policy information in alternative forms to increase accessibility and engagement;
- Creating space to explore the interplay between evidence, values and policy priorities;
- Playing a role in policy innovation, for example as a powerful creative force for envisioning alternatives to the status quo.
For further information, see the Policy Lab blog on the gov.uk website.
Meet the Artist: Susan Collins (Online Talk)
©Susan Collins
Susan Collins talks about her work Dell Quay, currently on show as part of Sussex Landscape: Chalk Wood and Water at Pallant House, Chichester, on Thursday 9 February, 7 - 8pm, via Zoom. See the Pallant House website for details.
Susan Collins is one of the contemporary artists who has created new work for Sussex Landscape: Chalk Wood and Water. For her work, Dell Quay, a camera has been installed on the roof of Dell Quay Sailing Club in Chichester Harbour. Images from the camera are transmitted live to a screen in the exhibition, which then updates one pixel at a time over a six and half hour time period, the times it takes for the tide to change.
Let the Sunshine In at Pilar Corrias
Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London
Alumnae Sofia Mitsola and Vivien Zhang are showing in Let the Sunshine In at Pilar Corrias, Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8EF, from 12 January - 18 February 2023.
While the dark, frosty days of January can be an eerie harbinger of the extremes to come, they are also a moment for reflection and new beginnings. Borne from conversations amongst the exhibition’s artists about the current state of affairs, Let The Sunshine In brings together propositions by a group of contemporary artists that reconsider the uncertainties, and the possibilities, of our future.
Photo courtesy of the artists and Pilar Corrias, London
Hurly-burly at Gagosian, Paris
©Lydia Goldblatt
Phyllida Barlow, Rachel Whiteread and Alison Wilding are showing in "Hurly-burly," at Gagosian, rue de Ponthieu, Paris, 19 January - 4 March 2023.
The exhibition’s title makes playful reference to the opening scene of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It also alludes to the ever-changing character of the art world that Barlow, Whiteread, and Wilding have observed and participated in over the course of their careers.
Read more in the Financial Times' HTSI
Photo: ©Lydia Goldblatt
holt journal - volume 1 - Methodologies
The first volume of holt, a peer reviewed journal and a meeting place for sharing artistic and practice-led research, a space for generating conversations, and supporting the transition between making and disseminating, is now online. The journal was co-founded by Slade alumnae (PhD) Dana Ariel, Sarah Fortais & Dawn Gaietto.
The papers included in this issue focus on the exploration and development of diverse creative arts research methodologies. In this publication they aim to share not only the outcomes of artistic research but the processes, reflections and methodologies through which these outcomes emerged.
Please visit the holt journal website to view the full issue.
Susan Collins on BBC4's Today 29 December 2022
Listen to Susan Collins' interview about her work on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, 29 December 2023, at 8:40am. Director of GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, was Today's guest editor on the 29th December. He had previously chosen one of Susan's Seascapes for his office at M15. Listen on BBC Sounds, available until 27 January 2023.
Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa (1976 - 2023)
We are very sad to hear that Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa has died. Emma graduated from the Slade with a MA in Fine Art in 2008, worked as a Research Associate, and recently as a Lecturer (Teaching) in History and Theory of Art, May 2021 - June 2022. We send our thoughts and condolences to her family and friends.
UCL Winter Closure 2022
Photo: Susan Collins
The Slade is closed from 5:30pm, Friday 23 December 2022 until 9:00am, Tuesday 3 January 2023. If you have any questions regarding applications or uploading your video, please see our webpage.
We wish you all a happy and healthy break.
Portfolio Upload Instructions for 2023-24 entry
BA/BFA and MA/MFA applicants for entry 2023-2024. Instructions for uploading your portfolio are on our Portfolio Upload page.
Deadlines for applications
MA/MFA Fine Art: 6 January 2023 via UCL
BA/BFA Fine Art: 25 January 2023 via UCAS
After you have submitted your application, you will receive an email from UCL inviting you to submit your portfolio.
Portfolio submission deadlines
MA/MFA Fine Art: 16:00 (GMT) on Tuesday 10 January 2023
BA/BFA Fine Art: 16.00 (GMT) on Wednesday 8 February 2023
Please watch the video and spend time putting your portfolio together in the correct format before uploading.
If you encounter any problems whilst submitting your portfolio, please DO NOT try to resubmit your portfolio. Please contact slade.tlo@ucl.ac.uk.
Booking open for Spring Term Short Courses
Booking for our spring short course programme, starting in January, is now open!
We are running both online and in person courses in Colour and Painting, and an in-person Easter painting course. For the full programme, see our Short Courses webpage.