The Vanner Gallery: The Graduate Art Show and Beyond
The Vanner Gallery is dedicated to providing a platform for emerging artists and, through its partnership with The Graduate Art Show, plays a key role in supporting early-career talent. The Graduate Art Show acts as a springboard for graduates, and the gallery has embraced this mission by continuing to work with artists whose practices are evolving in compelling ways.
Since presenting artists from The Graduate Art Show 2022, many exhibitors have gone on to significant achievements. William Brooks has gained both international and local recognition, including participation in the inaugural Diriyah Arts Futures programme in Riyadh, while Anita Chanda received the Clifford Chance/UAL Sculpture Award in 2023.
Artists such as Oliver Murdock and Lauren Goldie have developed ongoing relationships with the gallery, returning for group exhibitions, acting as guest judges for The Graduate Art Show and, in Murdock’s case, curating the forthcoming ‘Fragments of Us’ exhibition in April 2025.
Other graduates have built notable profiles across illustration, public art and interdisciplinary practice. Regular exhibitor Martyna Gradziel works across illustration, design and murals and has been shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2024 and won the Aspiring Muralist Competition in Bristol.
Artists including Kelsey Ann Kasom, Milly Aburrow, Rebecca Munday, Aisha Seriki, Lai Sui Wai and ceramist Shinhye You have exhibited widely, received prizes and appeared in prominent venues and publications, demonstrating the breadth of opportunities accessed by Graduate Art Show alumni.
Several graduates have been invited back to The Vanner Gallery for subsequent exhibitions, including ‘Fragments of Us’, which will feature five young artists, among them two who first showed in the gallery’s debut Graduate Art Show.
The gallery has also offered internships to exhibiting artists, enabling them to gain experience from the gallery’s perspective while developing their own practice. Through this ongoing support, The Vanner Gallery provides a lasting platform for graduates to develop their work, gain recognition and reach new audiences, underscoring its commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists.