Dear Art Lovers,
It’s that wonderful time of year again where we look back and take the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic new artists who have joined us over the past year. We have welcomed some incredible talent from across the globe - 692 artists from 59 countries to be precise - who have been delighting customers, our artists and the team alike with their creativity and originality. Myself and curator Helen Buckley have had the very difficult job of selecting just a handful to spotlight from this hugely talented group who have joined our artist community. However, the 16 chosen artists particularly caught our eye and we are thrilled to be able to share them with you. They have a unique voice and have been inspiring us throughout the year, with their visually engaging and dynamic works in a range of mediums and styles. These are ones to watch and we can’t wait to see what they do in the year ahead.
Introducing the artists: Anahita Amouzegar, Andromachi Giannopoulou, Claire Gill, Emmanouil Nanouris, Hyunah Kim, Genevieve Leavold, Natalia Ostapenko, Roberto Canduela Luengo, Damola Ayegbayo, Lyubov Biryukova, Irina Laube, Steven Page Prewitt, Kat Goetz, Olga Skorokhod, Ivan Stoyanov and Dario Comi.
Please take time to enjoy our Ones to watch 2022 collection and our recent Grad Week 2021 showcase, which highlights our pick of the very best of emerging artists.
Finally, thank you for your continued support of our artist community and wishing you all a very happy new year!
Alice Phillimore, Lead Curator
Anahita Amouzegar
"For me, the beauty in painting is to bring in as many movements and simulations in harmony and gentleness. I enjoy painting vibrant abstracts mixed with figures which are full of movement."
Andromachi Giannopoulou
"My work is the result of a search for the nature of personal experience, by exploring the boundaries between "real life" and memory and on the other hand between "real life" and dreams. The border between sleep and alertness, repetitive dreams and space in dreams are some of the elements that fascinate me."
Claire Gill
"Much of my work is inspired by a "sense of place" and I work mostly, although not exclusively with coastal imagery. I believe my work conveys a more intense sense of a place than I could possibly show in a single photograph, and I enjoy the ambiguity of it as it sits visually between photography and painting."
Emmanouil Nanouris
"My focus on the male form and beauty are elevated by a unique take on contemporary techniques. I use oils mixed with other mediums and often feature unique materials to make my stand out pieces."
Hyunah Kim
"I am very honoured that my paintings are being collected across the border around the world. It is part of a real satisfaction of accomplishment as an artist, but I am more honoured to share my thoughts and my expressions with others through my paintings."
Genevieve Leavold
"Taking an intuitive approach to painting, I rely on remembered form and trust in the spontaneous re-configuring of well-practised brushstrokes to create flowing amorphous paintings."
Natalia Ostapenko
"My main source of inspiration is nature and therefore it's the main subject in my work. For me, transforming landscapes and various states of nature into abstract geometry is really exciting and challenging."
Roberto Canduela Luengo
"Spring-boarding from the idea that our bodies limit and delimit us both physically and mentally, I compose works with anthropomorphic references and a high degree of abstraction. Additionally, I experiment with architectural forms that generate fascinating spaces and gaps and constantly dance between heavy and the light."
Damola Ayegbayo
"My works convey the power of the beauty of Black African women, the reality of life and morals through colour and Black beautiful female faces."
Lyubov Biryukova
"In my art, I research the theme of identification and self-identification and explore the nuances of the human body form in an effort to expose the essence and energy of the people."
Irina Laube
"I recognised the world as a colourful landscape at an early age. The observation of colours and shapes and the play of both in the landscape became my passion and my purpose in life."
Steven Page Prewitt
"For me and my journey, it is very important to know and understand the who, what, when, why, and how these Modern Art Masters created. My personal, intimate experience of mixing colours and stretching canvases is built upon my passion for the Modern Masters."
Kat Goetz
"My aim, as an artist, is to draw the viewer into the images I create and to invite them to share in the emotion I experience or have experienced in the places I depict. In this respect, colour plays a significant role in most of my linocuts."
Olga Skorokhod
"My sculptures are inspired by nature's fascinating beauty. I like to create natural formations with added textures and complementary colour palettes in an attempt to encourage the viewer to feel an emotional response to my pieces."
Ivan Stoyanov
"For me, my art is a way to understand and reveal the spiritual world of things. This is a noble mission, revealing new worlds and dimensions to humanity."
Dario Comi
"I am a kind of visionary artist. I create to give people something to dream for a while, to allow them to escape even for just a minute from the everyday life."
Shop Artfinder's Ones to Watch 2022:
Cover image via Genevieve Leavold
