Last night The Open West announced the final three winners of its fifth annual open exhibition at the newly redeveloped and reopened art gallery and museum, The Wilson, in Cheltenham. William Lindley, Akinori Ueno Miki and Kim Francis follow Caroline Tattersall, who in July was awarded The Michael Claydon prize for her site-specific installation at Newark Park, where Part I of The Open West was held. Each prize-winner receives £500.
a-n + AIR member Lindley wins The Curators Award selected by The Open West’s Sarah Goodwin and Lyn Cluer Coleman. Lindley was awarded the prize on the strength of his new site-specific installation that combines print and film to investigate and re-imagine The Open West exhibition sites.
The University of Gloucestershire Award goes to collaborators Akinori Ueno Miki who combine painting and cgi animation to create, as a-n Interface reviewer Sunny Cheung has written,’a charming piece of equal parts moving image, painting and shadow play. Lotus flowers unfold and meld into abstraction.’
Francis wins The Wilson Award (formerly known as the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum Award). Fittingly for both the Part I and Part II venues of The Open West, Francis’ structural pieces explore notions of transformation and regeneration.
Reflecting on her award, Tattersall said: “Winning the Michael Claydon prize was particularly significant because the judges were the guides to Newark Park. They know and have great insight into the house, the history of the building and the people that have lived there. I feel privileged to have had my work selected by them.”
Part II of The Open West is at The Wilson, (formerly The Cheltenham Gallery and Museum) until 6 November. www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk
