New Contemporaries is pleased to announce this year’s selected artists for Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2021.
The rigorous two-part selection process was headed by a panel of three internationally renowned artists comprising Hew Locke, Tai Shani and Michelle Williams Gamaker, who have selected a new generation of artists in what has been a challenging year.
75 artists—from final year students and recent graduates of UK arts institutions, to practitioners on alternative peer-to-peer learning programmes—have been selected to take part in New Contemporaries 2021 open submission opportunities. This includes participation in the annual touring exhibition and the newly launched digital platform supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, as well as access to digital residences and projects, studio bursaries, mentorships, talks and workshops.
Selected artists for Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2021 are: Susan Atwill, Mataio Austin Dean, Christopher Bond, Shannon Bono, Alice Bucknell, Richard Burton, Thomas Cameron, Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell, Anna Choutova, Bo Choy, Kedisha Coakley, Noemi Conan, Lauren Craig, Angelina May Davis, Femi Dawkins, Charles de Agustin, Darya Diamond, Pete G. Donaldson, Freya Douglas Ferguson, Karolina Dworska, Max Göran, Janina Frye, Enorê, Aoibheann Greenan, Benjamin Hall, Tom Harker, Christopher Hartmann, Serena Huang, INCURSIONS, Asuf Ishaq, Elsa James, Nisa Khan, Sarah Khan, David Leal, Jinjoon Lee, Hannah Lim, Laila Majid, Seren Metcalfe, Haeji Min, Karabo Monareng, Willy Nabi, Christof Nüssli, Sora Park, Rebecca Parkin, Krystle Patel, Hanne Peeraer, Lydia Pettit, Sandra Poulson, Leon Pozniakow, Anne Carney Raines, Katarina Ranković, Aaron Ratajczyk, Davinia-Ann Robinson, Bryan GIUSEPPI Rodriguez Cambana, Rebeca Romero, Benjamin Rostance, Temitayo Shonibare, James Sibley, Billy Smith-Morris, Sid Smith, Sean Synnuck, Agnieszka Szczotka, Jukan Tateisi, Liorah Tchiprout, Beth Waite, Jaime Welsh, Adrianna Whittingham, Tom Connell Wilson, Nana Wolke, Zhuanxu Xu, Rafał Zajko, Orsola Zane, Adam Zoltowski and Žaneta Zukalová.
In partnership with New Contemporaries, Firstsite, Colchester, will launch Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2021 from September 25 to November 28, 2021. The show will then travel to the South London Gallery for the fourth consecutive year, from December 10, 2021 to February 20, 2022. To compliment both exhibitions, New Contemporaries will produce a digital platform and a range of online activities allowing audiences to further engage with the artists’ work.
New Contemporaries has held a vital role in the UK’s contemporary art scene, showcasing emerging artists who have become the most internationally renowned artists of recent history including post-war figures Frank Auerbach, Bruce Lacey and Paula Rego; pop artists Frank Bowling, Patrick Caulfield and David Hockney; new media pioneers Stuart Brisley, Helen Chadwick and Derek Jarman; YBAs Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili and Gillian Wearing; alongside contemporary figures such as Tacita Dean, Sunil Gupta, Mark Leckey and Mona Hatoum; the new millennium exceptional artists including Monster Chetwynd, Rachel Maclean, Haroon Mirza, Laure Prouvost and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye; and more recently a new generation including Hardeep Pandhal, Joanna Piotrowska, Shen Xin and Imran Perretta.
Kirsty Ogg, Director, New Contemporaries, says, “COVID-19 is the toughest challenge of a generation. Artists’ lives and livelihoods have been severely impacted by the precarity of the pandemic with lockdown measures preventing access to studios, materials, and peer networks as well as the postponement or cancellation of many graduate shows and work opportunities.
Today, more so than ever, it is vital for New Contemporaries to support and to give a platform to emerging and early career artists, many of whom are directly addressing issues of equality, diversity and social justice in response to these times.
The practice of curating is very much a practice of connection. It allows us to foster a sense of closer proximity at a time when so many artists have lost their support structures. I would especially like to thank our selectors, whose overwhelming generosity will enable 75 New Contemporaries artists to be supported by us and their achievements celebrate by all.”
Hew Locke, 2021 selector, says, “The judging was a long and intense process made easier by the abundance of good work. These are difficult times for the art world, and this whole process has increased my sense of optimism in a new generation of artists.”
Tai Shani, 2021 selector, says, “It is a truly special, and inspiring process. We began looking at the 6,500 works together online and we then looked at the shortlisted work in real life a couple of months later. This was my first encounter with physical artworks since the pandemic began and when I walked into the space I was immediately struck by the materials, textures, colours. It was moving to see the resilience of the creative process and what it yields. We were left with 75 practices that we were completely in love with and couldn’t bear to let go any of these pieces, many of which were created in such difficult conditions.”
Michelle Williams Gamaker, 2021 selector, says, “20 years ago, my work was part of New Contemporaries, which was my first break into exhibiting. Selecting this year was a total privilege to gain insight into the process from the other side and “complete the circle.” There were moments during selection where we were deeply moved and in awe of the talent, resilience and ingenuity of the artists making work during a pandemic resulting in a rich and hopeful show that speaks to this moment.”
Jemma Read, Global Head of Corporate Philanthropy at Bloomberg L.P says, “As we emerge from this terrible pandemic, it’s vital that we put culture at the centre of our recovery. We’re proud to have supported emerging artistic talent through our partnership with New Contemporaries for over 20 years, and we’re thrilled to see the resilience and unique perspectives of this year’s artists.”
As a National Portfolio Organisation, New Contemporaries is a registered charity supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
