Author: The Auction Collective
Published: 15 Aug 2024
Top 5 Artists | Sandra
A spotlight on the top 5 next gen artists from those that know. This week's Top 5 comes from The Auction Collective Social Media Manager, Sandra De Giorgi
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Sandra De Giorgi joined the TAC team in January, bringing a wealth of experience in social media and digital marketing, honed through her recent role managing digital marketing at Art on a Postcard. Before that she completed two Masters; a first grade MA at University of St Andrews and a MSt in Art History and Visual Culture and University of Oxford.
Based in London, Sandra is deeply immersed in the city’s arts scene, frequently attending shows to stay on the pulse and discover artists new to her. She has a keen eye for spotting rising stars, with the annual graduate show season always showcasing the most innovative and diverse artists. The five artists featured here represent some of Sandra’s favourite artists from this year’s talented pool of graduates.
“I look forward to the graduate show season every year. It’s a unique opportunity to encounter a large number of artists in one place and engage with cutting-edge art, in a free and accessible way. It’s always my first recommendation whenever someone asks about exploring art in London.”
For further graduates to watch, see our recent posts on Instagram highlighting more of our favourites across the various shows.
Header Image: Artwork by Temitope Adebowale
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Temitope Adebowale
Image Credits (left to right):
Temitope Adebowale, Don’t Get Square Eyes, Acrylic on Wood, UV Print on Mirror (Featured in Royal College of Art Degree Show)
Artist in their studio, Courtesy of the artist
Temitope Adebowale is a British-Nigerian artist and graphic designer, painting greyscale portraits while exploring woodwork, materiality and installation. She draws inspiration from the minimal and the mundane, endeavouring to discover the abundances therein. Her processes often begin with a found image or a found material, working in response to these stimuli to embrace their themes and attributes in her works. She seeks to harmonise them resourcefully, such that they co-exist in a complimentary manner.
Her works hold layers of personal memories, stories and reflections, referencing multiple moments in time. She resists the overstimulation of the present day, using images of the past and the memories they awaken in a way that allows for a contemplative catching-up to the present... with all of its changes.
"What drew me in about Temitope’s artwork was its relationship with the space. With the painting slightly detached from the wall on one side, and crumbled plaster and paint on the ground underneath the work, the wall was an equal participant in the piece. These elements of materiality and installation complement the muted greyscale palette, enhancing the soft delicacy in which the subject was painted."
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Natalia Ocerin
Image Credits (left to right)
Natalia Ocerin, Dante’s Inferno, Oil Painting on Linen (Featured in Central Saint Martins Postgraduate Degree Show
Artist at Degree Show, Photography Credit: René Lazovy
Natalia Ocerin is a Spanish artist based in London. She has recently completed an MA in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Previously, she earned her Master's in Artistic Production from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), where she also completed her Bachelor's degree. Human themes, as well as social, philosophical, and political issues, have marked Natalia's career from the beginning. In her Master's thesis, she explored topics related to mental health.
Natalia’s work is renowned for her hyperreal oil paintings of faux-naïf plasticine sculptures, which evoke a "cute" aesthetic while shedding the conventional qualities that define it. Her pieces offer a poignant commentary on the realities created by modern society.
Detail of Dante's Inferno
"Natalia’s immersive installation, inspired by Dante’s Inferno, was immediately visually arresting. Every element was carefully considered by the artist to enhance the visual experience, from the clay maquette, the ceramic sculptures, and the hyper-realistic and boldly coloured large-scale painting. Highly detailed and meticulously executed, it's the type of piece that offers something new every time you look at it."
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LEMO
Image Credits:
Lemo, flip and toss, Oil on Linen
Lemo, Carrots, when I’m still young (Featured in Slade School BA Degree Show)
Lemo (Chengcheng Li) is a Chinese artist based in London. They recently completed her BA Fine Art from Slade School of Fine Art, UCL. Recent exhibitions include shows at Candid Arts Trust and RuptureXIBIT, London. Pursuing an accurate language for the intangible and ineffable nature of living, being, being alive, they find their practice to be a passionate and immersive performative composition of writings achieved by playful scripting of semiotic expressions.
"The central figure of Lemo’s piece caught my eye, particularly because there was no eye to catch. Sitting in a laid back position, offset by the busyness surrounding the person, the figure’s head is empty, filled with a black void where the eyes would be. I liked the curiosity and playfulness of the artwork, executed in a distinct visual style that is already immediately recognisable."
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Cieszymir Bylina
Image Credits:
Cieszymir Bylina, The Emperor of Misery (Featured at RCA Degree Show)
Artist Pictured, Courtesy of the artist
Cieszymir Bylina is a London-based Polish visual artist exploring the fusion of Polish folklore, Slavic mythology and cyberpunk aesthetics. His work spans painting, concept art, and 3D modelling, incorporating augmented reality elements and sound. A graduate of the University of the Arts London and the Royal College of Art, Bylina’s art challenges traditional boundaries, inviting viewers into immersive and thought-provoking worlds. Through his work, he aims to bridge the gap between heritage and technology, creating a unique visual language for the 21st century.
https://www.facebook.com/cieszymirbylina.art
Detail of The Emperor of Misery; Custom Augmented Reality filter in action
"Cieszymir’s triptych of figures was monumental, mysterious and haunting. The rich red and piercing blue practically glow against the dark canvas in an effect that is difficult to capture in a photograph. I was also invited to listen to the accompanying narrated Polish audio for the piece and pull up a custom AR filter, showcasing the exciting ways that technology can create an immersive experience with art. The result created characters that seemed life-like, ready to strike and impossibly close."
Listen to a snippet of the audio here.
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Lucy Robson
Image Credits:
Lucy Robson, What a wicked way to treat the girl who loves you, Oil on Linen
Artist in Studio, Courtesy of the artist
Lucy Robson is a South African artist living and working in London. She draws on traditional painting methods and popular culture to explore femininity, desire, and the ecstasy and agony of romantic love. Her background in photography and interest in cinema directly influence her work, which draws on filmic tropes and devices to bring the viewer sharply to the moment. Lucy is graduating from Goldsmiths with an MFA this September.
Lucy Robson, On Being an Angel II, Oil on Linen (Featured in Goldsmiths MA Degree Show)
"Everything about Lucy’s painting drew me in; the hyperrealism of the single, shining tear, the depth of the iris and pupil that followed you, and the feeling of knowing the feeling. The artist aims to bring viewers sharply into the moment. The painting feels both hard and soft in its execution, a private moment caught so publicly, and feeling all too familiar, whether from a Roy Lichtenstein, a film close-up, or the mirror."
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