The Red Mansion Art Prize 2011/2012 Exhibition:

20th- 26th April 2012, The Royal Academy of the Arts,

6 Burlington Gardens, London, W1J 0BD

The Red Mansion Art Prize was established to promote artistic exchange between

China and the UK. The art prize is open to post-graduate students from seven long-

standing colleges (The Royal College of Art, Royal Academy Schools, The Slade,

Goldsmiths, Central Saint Martins College of Art, Chelsea College of Art and The

Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art). Each college shortlists six post-graduate

students from which The Red Mansion panel of judges selects seven winners, one

winner from each college.

The 2011 panel of judges was composed of Emily Pethick (Director of the

Showroom gallery), Margot Heller (Director of the South London Gallery), Dr

Stephen Wilson (Theorist and Practitioner), Dave Beech (Artist and Writer) and

Nicolette Kwok (Director of the Red Mansion Foundation).

During the summer of 2011, the talented winners of this year’s Red Mansion Art

Prize travelled to China for one month. They were given studio space and the

opportunity to live and work alongside local artists with flights, accommodation and a

spending allowance provided for them.

An exhibition of the works produced by the students over this time is being held at

The Royal Academy of the Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, London, W1J 0BD, from

Friday 20th – Thursday 26th April. The opening times of the exhibition are from

10am to 6pm.

ALEXANDER BALL The Slade School of Fine Art

KIRA FREIJE The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art

ADHAM FARAMAWY The Royal Academy Schools

REHANA ZAMAN Goldsmiths College

GIUSY PIRROTTA Central Saint Martins

ANDREA FRANCKE Chelsea College of Art & Design

YELENA POPOVA Royal College of Art

KATE LISTON The Royal College of Art 2010 Winner

Notes to Editors:

The Red Mansion Art Prize was established in 2002 to promote artistic dialogue

between the UK and China. By giving these artists the opportunity to spend time in

China working with local artists, we hope to offer them a new perspective and add

fuel to their creativity.

Example of earlier work by Red Mansion Winner Alex Ball –

‘Cast', 2011, oil on linen, 23.5 x 17.5 cm

Artist’s Statement – Alex Ball

My current work and research explores tensions and slippages between pictorial and

physical space. Working mainly with the mediums of painting and print I am

fascinated on the one hand by their qualities of flatness, and on the other by their

haptic, tactile potential. Following my stay in Beijing over the summer my work

underwent a number of developments. Working in a city that seemed to be in a state

of flux, I began to develop a more immediate way of generating ideas and making

work. My usual, time-consuming method of drawing and painting has been expanded

to incorporate the use of objects, photography and found imagery. The art as well as

the landscape of Beijing expanded my awareness of materials and helped me to think

about how I could introduce various tempos to the experience of looking at my work.

For further information and visuals please contact us at The Red Mansion

Foundation:

The Red Mansion Foundation

46 Portland Place

London

W1B 1NF

Tel:

0207 323 3700

Fax:

0207 323 0788

Info:

hs@redmansion.co.uk

Web: www.redmansion.co.uk