STRUCTURES
Visual Art Exhibition & Competition Vol III
May - June 2024
From organic formations to architectural marvels, artists are challenged to capture the essence of these structures through unique perspectives. By examining the textures, lines, and geometries present in both nature and architecture, artists can uncover new insights and evoke emotional responses, prompting viewers to see familiar structures in a new light.
WINNERS
Ciarán Leonard
Untitled [Collage, Pencil and Ink on Paper, 21 x 29.7cm, 2024]
Ciarán Leonard is a multidisciplinary artist who works with painting, collage, and installations. Leonard's current practice encompasses figurative representations and depictions of the body, shifting between representation and abstraction. There is an emphasis on the body either relaxed or under tension and the physical or spiritual expression of personal emotions.
Leonard paints the body in various states: foetal, relaxed, brawling, crucified. The artist strives to portray personal emotions and capture experiences or fleeting thoughts that are difficult to vocalize. Leonard also seeks to look outward with the artwork, aiming to capture ideas or feelings that are beyond personal understanding. Using whatever medium comes naturally, Leonard leverages their unique qualities to best express artistic visions. In approaching themes of brutality, vulnerability, and melancholy, Leonard creates art because it provides a sense of purpose.
Xieni Zhou
Gazing the ground 2 [42x29cm, pastels & coloured pencils on paper, 2023]
Xieni Zhou is a Chinese visual artist currently living in London.
Curiosity begins with the cyclical phenomenon of decay and regeneration in nature, Xieni aims to capture the fragile and transitional details of the natural world as visible traces. The focus is on time-based drawing practices, investigating how people perceive time through environmental changes and how these sensory variations evoke a sense of the value of being in a place.
By examining the perspectives of our ecological identity, Xieni hopes to understand and reflect on how humans relate to nature in society today.
Ciarán Leonard & Xieni Zhou solo shows opening soon…
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Setsuko Chiba
Inner exploration [mixed media, photographic print; 30x42cm; 2024]
Setsuko Chiba is an artist, poet, writer, performer and unique cloud artist who creates art using clouds as a visual poetic language. Born and based in Japan. After graduating from university in Tokyo, she began working as a busy journalist for a major newspaper. She then worked as a poet and artist in New York and Paris, and established her world of theatrical and artistic performance poetry in Tokyo.
Setsuko Chiba believes that one of the essential roles of art is to make visible the presence of life's forces that are invisible to the naked eye. She is particularly fascinated by creating works that depict the way clouds flowing in the sky structure the landscape one by one, freely changing their beautiful shapes. To Chiba, there is a will, power, beauty, and mercy in nature that lies beyond the reach of human knowledge. Through her art, she aims to capture and convey these intangible elements, highlighting the profound impact of nature's unseen forces on our perception of the world. The Universe of Life always seems to open its arms in a great embrace, guiding human beings on Earth towards a way of life characterized by respect for life, peace, and mature humanity. She views this universal embrace as a profound force leading humanity towards a harmonious and enlightened existence. Through her art, Chiba seeks to reflect this vision, emphasizing the interconnectedness and benevolence inherent in the natural world.
Jingyi Chen
Nature Simulation [Digital, 2023]
Jingyi Chen, born in China, is an innovative digital artist and designer whose work critically engages with contemporary digital themes. With a solid education in sculpture from the China Academy of Art and an MFA in Computational Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London, Jingyi's portfolio is a testament to her ability to blend traditional artistry with modern technological insights. Her art, inspired by postmodernism and new media theories, navigates the complexities of cyborg identities, surveillance capitalism, algorithmic bias, and feminism. Jingyi has exhibited her work in the UK, China, Korea, and on several online platforms, using XR, AI, and generative art to challenge societal norms and advocate for a future where digital landscapes are inclusive and equitable.
'Nature Simulation' is an artistic series that blends the elegance of nature with the precision of mathematical algorithms, showcasing the harmony between organic forms and digital art. It captures phenomena ranging from auroras to ocean waves and plant patterns, emphasizing the synergy between natural beauty and algorithmic design. By inviting the audience into dreamlike natural landscapes, it guides them through the boundaries between reality and virtuality, exploring the intertwined relationship between human consciousness and the digital environment.
FINALISTS
Arthur Dantes
Ubik Window [Digital Painting; 42x59.4 cm; 2023]Carolina Simoes
Dancing in the Moonlight [Mixed media collage & digital art; 14x9cm; 2023]Hu Shuangyizhen
Floating [Watercolour; 53×76cm; 2021]Azahar Kann
Texture Study 3 [Digital Art; 2024]Eevi Blatt
Scar [Ink on paper; 16x35 cm; 2022]Keyi Liu
Lost in Museum [Digital Art; 30x40cm; 2024]John Oxley
Natures Flow [Charcoal, chalk, furniture paint on ply; 61x41 cm; 2024]Jess Nakatsuka
Metamorphosis [Sculpture, crystal formations grown from salts; 9x4cm; 2022]You can submit your work for future exhibitions and prizes here
