RSA New Contemporaries honours for RGU

Nine graduates from Gray’s School of Art and one from The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment have been selected for the showcase, which features the best emerging talent in Scotland under one roof.  

Now in its twelfth year, the exhibition is taking place at the RSA Edinburgh and runs until 3 April. It includes 56 graduates specially selected from the 2020 degree shows and features an array of painting, sculpture, film-making, photography, printmaking, installation, performance and architecture.

The artists selected from RGU include Gray’s School of Art (GSA) graduates Kai Campbell, Catherine Eckersall, Kinga Elliott, Lauren Ferguson, Marie-Chantal Hamrock. Konstantinos Irakleous, Alicja Rodzik, Sophie Stewart. Meghan Rasmussen is also exhibiting from The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment (SSA).

Gray’s Painting graduate, Kinga Elliot, has picked up three awards from the RSA. The honours include the RSA Patrons Award, a joint prize for the David & June Gordon Memorial Prize, shared with Gray’s Graduate Lauren Fergusson and the Glasgow Print Studio Award.

Speaking about her success, Kinga Elliott, said: “I was delighted to be selected at the end of my degree to showcase my work at the Royal Scottish Academy New Contemporaries exhibition. It is a privilege to be recognised by this prestigious art establishment.

“Gray’s School of Art has provided me with the nurturing environment that any art student would hope for. At the painting department, I found an atmosphere that inspired and pushed me into directions that I could not have foreseen. The painting staff really get to know the students, and their expertise guided us to discover our strengths and to develop as professional artists. The painting department felt like a big family where staff and students support each other.

“Showcasing my work at the RSA is my big step into the art world. Winning three awards should set me on the path for a successful career. For the first time in its history the RSA offered a mentoring scheme to the selected graduates. It has been wonderful getting to know an experienced artist and academician who has been very generous in his support.”

Head of Gray’s School of Art, Libby Curtis, said: “The RSA New Contemporaries encapsulates the very best of Scotland’s emerging artistic talent, and we are delighted that so many of our graduates are taking part and have won awards. Gray’s School of Art prides itself on its ability to nurture and bring out the best in our students and the RSA’s selection of so many from Gray’s is testament to the calibre of our graduates.”

Head of The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & Built Environment, David McClean, added, “It is wonderful to see Meghan exhibiting at the New Contemporaries exhibition and to see how much she has developed throughout her five years of study with us and in the time since she graduated. As an architecture school, the Scott Sutherland School strives hard to equip our students with the skills to required for our profession today. We combine innovative thinking with new technologies across all aspects of the design and construction and work hard to offer a unique portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.”

Head of Painting at Gray’s and course leader of Kinga’s course, Michael Agnew, said: “The RSA New Contemporaries exhibition is an extremely important milestone on the road to recovery for us all, participants and audience alike. Even more so during a pandemic where we are all reacquainting ourselves with a physical exhibition. Despite adversity and challenging circumstances, it is a salute to each and every one of the artists involved and a reaffirmation of the academy’s educational mission statement to support emerging early career artists.

“The New Contemporaries exhibition offers those selected the opportunity to showcase their talents ‘in real life’ and to disseminate ideas to a national audience that is, after more than a decade, the most comprehensive survey of up-and-coming fine artists in Scotland.”

The RSA New Contemporaries runs until 3rd April at the RSA Gallery on the Mound, Edinburgh. There is also an exhibition viewing room where all the exhibitors works are online. 

The exhibition is supported by Walter Scott & Partners Ltd and is part of the RSA’s commitment to supporting and promoting contemporary art and architecture in Scotland.

Image shows Gray’s Painting graduate, Kinga Elliot, winner of RSA awards.