City pair shortlisted in major art contest
Two Bath artists have been shortlisted in an international open art competition.
Now in its ninth year, Wells Art Contemporary (WAC) received a record-breaking number of entries from 50 different countries for its open visual art contest. Out of nearly 3,600 submissions, a shortlist of 128 pieces has been selected, including work by two Bath artists, Rob Grieve and Eldarin Yeong.
The competition will be divided into four ‘rooms’; Figurative, Painting, Graphic and Moving & Still.
The Moving & Still room will feature Eldarin’s, The Meal of Madam Candlestick, a piece of video art on the theme of honour-based violence, exploring the role of women in these crimes.
“Although being virtual will eliminate the sense of physical intimacy between the audience and the artworks,” said Eldarin. “It also creates opportunities for the audience to take their time and to revisit.”
Rob’s acrylic painting Between The Lines will also feature in the same room, a big success as this is the first time he has entered WAC.
He said: “I had a good feeling on completing my selected painting this year and thought it would fit in well with the contemporary style of the WAC.”
Visitors can view that work and others among what is always some of the finest contemporary art at: wellsartcontemporary. co.uk/2020-wac-awards.
With the challenges presented by Covid-19, it was clear that a physical exhibition of the shortlisted work was not going to be feasible, so organisers took it online.
“The original aim of WAC was to support visual artists,” explains WAC chair Paddy O’hagan. “This assistance is needed now more than ever so we had to find a way to make it work.”
A substantial grant of £5,300 grant was secured from Arts Council England to produce a virtual exhibition. “Together with the amazing generosity of our sponsors, the grant has enabled us to present an exciting digital show, providing artists with an international audience,” added Mr O’hagan.