Gray’s master students prepare to exhibit their works of art

The Master’s Graduate Exhibition 2023 begins on the evening of Friday 25 August with an open launch night before continuing across the week until next Saturday.

Each of the artists and designers work will showcase their professional practice and work developed over the period of their master’s studies, embodying their personal research and development through various individual and artistic outputs.

The display will include graduating students from across the Art and Design postgraduate portfolio, including Communication Design, Curatorial Studies, Fashion & Textiles, Fine Art.

Jon Pengelly, Course Leader, said: “Exhibitions at Gray’s are always much anticipated and this year is no less exciting with a range of wonderfully crafted but challenging art and design work on display and open to the general public and for the University community to enjoy.

“This exhibition of work is fundamentally individual in nature, but explores through media of sculpture, photography, painting, animation, graphic design and fashion design, some common themes: often personal, cultural or political in nature, whilst others have sought to incite conversations that might address more ethical or ecological practices, that ask us all to tread a little more lightly.”

Dean of Gray's School of Art, Libby Curtis, said: “Our postgraduate students have worked incredibly hard over the past 12-months and deserve to have their work on public display and celebrated by a wide and appreciative audience.

“As ever, their subject matter is broad and deep. It is seen through differing and individual lenses, and importantly is thought provoking, as all art and design should be.”

The exhibition will also incorporate artwork displayed in BLEND, displaying fresh artwork produced by those in the Graduate in Residence (GiR) programme.

GIR is eligible to students who are recent Gray’s graduates and offers them the opportunity to contribute to the delivery of the Fine Art/Design curriculum and other aspects of the school’s activities for a 12-month period as the artists continue their professional journey into the art world.

The Master’s Graduate Exhibition 2023 is free and will be open to the public from 6pm-9pm on Friday 25 August; Saturday 26 August and Saturday 2 September between 10am-4pm; and each weekday in-between, Monday 28 August – Friday 1 September, from 9am-6pm.

An in depth look at some of the exhibiting artists have been produced in advance, including a video with MA Fashion & Textiles student Beth Wilson; plus a graduate story with both Gill Flett, MA Art & Design; and Harry Roberts, MA Communication Design.