Josie Hallet, Age 16, Chestnut Grove Academy, Self Portrait Response to Lock.
Phillips is proud to continue its collaboration with The Sovereign Art Foundation for the fourth edition of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize in London. Established in 2012, The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prizes are annual awards that celebrate the importance of art in the education system and recognise the quality of artworks produced by secondary-school students across the world. As official venue partner of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize London, Phillips will host the 20 shortlisted art works in the Finalists Exhibition at Phillips galleries on Berkeley Square from 12-15 December 2023. This year, we spoke with two of the competition's judges to get their insights on a remarkable group of young creators and how students can prepare for a future in the art world.
PHILLIPS: What is your first impression of the list of finalists?
HOWARD BILTON, Founder and Chairman of Sovereign Art Foundation: I am continually amazed by the standard of art that appears in the final of the schools prize. I think that some of these finalists would not look out of place in the final selection of the professional prizes we run around the world.
MELANIE GERLIS, art market columnist for the Financial Times: The finalists get harder to judge each year! This time I found that many of their works had an ethereal, surreal quality, perhaps reflecting more thoughtful times.
P: What do you look out for as a judge of the prize?
MG: I look for something that surprises me — that could be by its skill, its medium, its immediate impact or simply that it is different to what I normally see out there! And authenticity — a sense that this has come from within — is important to me (of which more below).
HB: The pictures which appeal to me and to which I give high marks are those which are innovative, well executed and ambitious. Ideally a work will show all three qualities.
P: What advice would you give to the students involved regarding their work and a future in the arts?
HB: Try and develop your own style. By all means be influenced by artists who you like and who are successful but don’t worry too much about it and just do it.
MG: I would advise never to underestimate authenticity. Trying to create something for a particular market, or award, or any audience never turns out as well as making what you feel you have to make.
P: What advice would you give someone (of any age) keen to start creating and making their own art but unsure of where to start?
MG: I would say don’t just focus on the famous art schools or universities where you think you should study, look at those that offer programmes that suit what you do and what you think you need to progress to the next level.
HB: Same as above. Just do it. Be courageous and just start. It will probably be the case that many attempts do not work out and they won’t be happy with the result. Redo it or start again. But get going and create.
P: What advice would you give the parents of students who are passionate about art and hoping for a future in the arts?
HB: Parents need to be supportive. This is not generally a traditional career and the chances of being commercially successful are not great but if creating art is what makes a person happy they should be encouraged to do it. It is vastly preferable to an alternative career which might bring greater success but which doesn’t represent a true calling for the student.
MG: As a parent, I appreciate that any passion that our children have beyond their social media feeds and gaming platforms is something to be hugely celebrated! Art especially gives students a scope and expression, that perhaps other subjects don’t. You might worry about your child being a struggling artist, but remember too that the art world is much bigger than its artists. Studying art gives a grounding in how things are made, a network of like-minded colleagues and a curious outlook in life — I think those are invaluable.
Learn more about The Sovereign Art Foundation here. Click on an image below to enlarge.
Row 1, left to right: Abigail Girma, Adriana Iznaga Kanerva, Amelia Simons, Andrew Or.
Row 2: Anna-May Knox, Cassidy Gattegno, Esthefani Neves Pitan Ferreira, Greta Cawley.
Row 3: Hannah Franklin, Jeh-Nai Smith-Carey, Josie Hallett, Jovian Yan.
Row 4: Katerina Leupolz, Konstantinos Louzi, Miranda Reula Gregorio, Nancy Thomas.
Row 5: Salima Mohammadyan, Sophia Shade, Uriel Jinadu, Xi Yang.
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