The Aesthetica Art Prize聽has聽shortlisted聽some of today’s most inspiring and dynamic creators. The Prize’s alumni continue to succeed and demonstrate excellence across the world, exhibiting at top galleries and winning prestigious awards. Discover pioneering photography, installations, film and more. Meet 10 of the fantastic nominees who have聽been shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize聽in recent years.聽
Gjert Rognli
What Nature Knows
The force of nature is at the heart of Gjert Rognli鈥檚 artistic practice. He works across film, photography, sculpture and performance, often referencing his affiliation with Arctic Northern Norway: light, darkness, the seasons and mythology are inspirations here. Based in Norway, Rognli is part of the Sami indigenous people; the culture has intrinsically influenced his interpretation of reality. Rognli has received numerous international awards for his work聽and had many exhibitions both nationally and internationally.
Larry Achiampong
Wayfinder
Larry Achiampong is a BAFTA longlisted (2023) and Jarman Award (2021) nominated artist, filmmaker and musician. His projects employ archival material, film, live performance and still imagery to explore ideas of class, gender, digital and cross-cultural聽identity. Achiampong鈥檚 work examines his communal and personal heritage 鈥 in particular, the intersection between popular culture and the residues of colonialism. His work offers multiple perspectives that reveal contemporary society’s deep inequalities.
Ingrid Weyland
Topographies of Fragility VI
Ingrid Weyland manipulates, alters and enacts 鈥渧iolent gestures鈥 on the land, contorting images
until the landscapes become something altogether different. Weyland鈥檚 photography taps into the
idea of Anthropocentrism 鈥 the role of the human hand in shaping ecosystems. The collages聽include original images from Argentina, Greenland and Iceland and聽explore layers of potential and possibility;
the remnants of untouched landscapes are still visible underneath the central crumple zones.
Don鈥檛 Be a Square
Margeaux Walter is a fine art photographer based in聽Joshua Tree, California. Dedicated to building a layered scene, she uses photography, installation, video and performance to portray issues related to conservation, climate change, consumption and waste. The聽images engage with viewers on the practice of seeing challenging us to question what we see and聽how we see it. In聽Don鈥檛 Be a Square, Walter stages interventions in the landscape that, when viewed through a camera lens, disrupt聽the scenery.聽
Grace
Sophie Dixon is a visual artist from the UK. Working across film, 3D technologies and installation, her projects explore the themes of memory, history, and the boundaries between the real and the virtual. In 1838, Grace Darling became one of the greatest female celebrities of the Victorian era after she rescued survivors from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire. Her quiet life as a lighthouse keeper鈥檚 daughter was changed forever.聽Grace聽is a poetic exploration of Darling鈥檚 life and the impact of her fame.
Liminal Potential
Sigita Silina is a visual artist who merges art, science, and philosophy, inviting viewers to discover the interplay between art and human consciousness.聽Liminal Potential聽surveys the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on humanity. Through AI-generated poetry and insightful commentary, it explores the balance between humankind鈥檚 intellect and AI’s exponential growth, highlighting potential consequences of excessive reliance on AI.聽We are reminded to preserve our humanity amidst relentless progress.
Kriss Munsya
Genetic Bomb
Munsya is an image-based artist based in Canada. He was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and moved to Belgium at the age of two. Like many people who have聽experienced similar emigrations, he carries generational guilt and confusion.聽Munsya鈥檚 work raises awareness about
difficult topics, including racism, colonialism, white supremacy and patriarchy. His images, like those in聽shortlisted series Genetic Bomb,聽create聽a dissonance between what viewers see and what they feel.
Edgar Martins
I鈥檓 Still Here
When the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre聽in 1911,聽visitors聽flocked聽to see the empty space. Its absence unleashed human curiosity.聽I鈥檓 Still Here聽is the result of research projects developed with prisons, legal medicine institutes and human rights organisations based in conflict zones. Martins聽took inspiration from triangular suicide notes written on post-its. He appropriated聽images from high drama films from bygone eras and news photographs depicting events of historical significance.
Steve Messam
Spiked
Steve Messam is an innovative environmental artist based in the North East of England. His temporary, eye-catching installations, typically 鈥渂igger than a house鈥, exploit colour, scale and narratives, creating
a moment of interruption in the familiar. These bold and large-scale installations uncover multiple narrative layers within the landscape, drawing on existing uses of the land and reflecting an understanding of the geological, cultural and agricultural practices used to shape and define the area.聽
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Contortion
Contortionism is one of the oldest art forms, dating back to ancient civilisations, and requires years of dedication, discipline and training. Fine art photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten鈥檚聽Contortion聽was inspired by feelings of extreme anxiety and loneliness offset by inner strength, humour and fortitude as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Each image embellishes the subject matter in a series of 鈥渟tories鈥 that use staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting techniques to tease the viewer into re-examining the picture.
