The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhbition 2015

26 March – 31 May 2015

A celebration of innovative practice, the Aesthetica Art Prize returns with a vibrant collection of pieces by shortlisted artists from across the world.

Now in its 8th year, the award continues to fortify its strong history of supporting ground-breaking practitioners, and invites you to engage with works in the following categories: Photographic & Digital Art; Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture; Painting & Drawing; and Video, Installation & Performance.

The entire spectrum of human sentiment towards our collective past, present and future ways of living is debated and discussed throughout this year’s exhibition.

In an age where moments of nostalgia contend with technology and the intensity of urban living masks the individual, it becomes difficult to acquire a true sense of belonging. These works offer a momentary pause in which to explore the visual and acoustic breadth of our universal yet individual existence.

From thousands of artists who entered, eight have been selected for exhibition with a further 92 presenting work on monitors.

Championing the feats of craftsmanship alongside the ingenuity of creative thinking, the show reflects upon the universal and shared messages being propelled from countries such as Australia, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

The exhibiting artists are:

Photographic and Digital Art – Marcus Lyon, Suzanne Mooney

Three Dimensional Design and Sculpture – Julian Day, Owen Waterhouse

Painting and Drawing – Saliha Elhoussaini, John Keane

Video, Installation and Performance – Vera Drebusch, Matthew Parker

Find more information at www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize.

Lunchtime Talks

Talks start at 12.30pm. Free, no need to book.

Dr Sam Lackey – Thursday 16 April: “What we talk about when we talk about art.” Dr Sam Lackey, Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield, will lead a tour around the exhibition to inspire a discussion on ways of talking and thinking about contemporary art.

Matthew Hawthorn – Thursday 30 April: Matthew Hawthorn, Head of Art & Design at York St John University, investigates the relationship between the artist, audience and environment in performance art through works created for public and private audiences.

Whitney Hintz – Thursday 14 May: Whitney Hintz, Independent Advisor and Curator of the Hiscox Collection, introduces herself and explains the process of curating a collection in a Q&A with Jenny Alexander, Senior Curator of Art at York Art Gallery.

James Boaden – Thursday 21 May: Dr James Boaden, Lecturer in History of Art at the University of York, talks about the language of film, exploring the relationship between art and moving image, experimental film culture and visual communications.

Marcus Lyon – Thursday 28 May: Marcus Lyon, shortlisted artist in this year’s Aesthetica Art Prize, has works and publications held in both private and international collections. He will discuss his creative practice, process and wider involvement in the art world.