With this years competition delayed due to the Covid Pandemic and subsequent schedule clashes, it was with huge pride and privilege that last night over 150 artists, friends and supporters of the museum came together to witness the crowning of the 2024 Ironstone Art Prize Winner and the winner of the Under 21s Prize.
Judith Yarrow, who lives and works in Chipping Norton, took home the accolade and £1000 Prize for her work ‘Hidden Pool’.
Our judges were intrigued by Judith’s mysterious work,
‘It rewards looking at it. You can look at it and look at it and on one level it’s not a very legible image so you return to it and see different things in it, and that’s what I think all good art does’.
Judge Paul Hobson Modern Art Oxford
It is very evocative of a landscape but is quite interior somehow . I’m attracted to the fact that it is unresolved yet effective rendering of a landscape.
Deborah Smith Director Arts Council Collection
‘I think the piece is quite a slow burner. The landscape is quite a contested territory and this is broken down into these different territories, ending up in the centre .. What might seem like a tradition English landscape is actually a kind of fraught space, and that’s really interesting. There’s something very peculiar about the division of the space, that keeps us thinking about it.
Fin Taylor, Senior Tutor Royal College of Arts
Our Under 21 Winner, with an £100 Prize kindly sponsored by The Artery, Banbury was…
Abigail Edu for her work ‘Representation’
The Judges noted Abigail’s work ..
‘I combines a really sophisticated arrangement of images, a technically brilliant portrait and is addressing issues around identity politics. It’s innovative, relevant and technically very good’.
Paul Hobson Modern Art Oxford
I think it is a lovely observation of someone looking out at us through this photorealistic technique, in a very knowing way it draws us in, surrounded by cartoon characters. It is a clever kind of bringing together of ways of depicting our ideas about the world.’
Fin Taylor
Congratulations to both of our very worthy winners form everyone at Banbury Museum & Gallery. And a massive well done to all the shortlisted artists who made it such a difficult decision for our judges.
The final prize, the Peoples Choice will be voted on by the public in the exhibition, with the winner to be announced on the 29th February 2024.
See the winners and shortlisted artists work at the Ironstone Art Prize 2024 exhibition runs until Sun 10th March.
Adults £2.50 Children under 18 are free
This exhibition is a selling exhibition, see the museum reception for more details and help with purchasing featured artwork during your visit.