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UAL MA graduates to be part of Saatchi Gallery’s upcoming London Grads Now. 21 Exhibition

A print on fabric of people with their hands stuck into an iced cake
A print on fabric of people with their hands stuck into an iced cake
Fill my holes by Constanza Pulit, UAL: Camberwell College of Arts
Written by
Kat Smith Published date
12 October 2021

Graduates from UAL colleges are to play an important part in London Grads Now. 21– an upcoming graduate-led exhibition at Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, running from 4 November 2021 - 16 January 2022. Artists trained at MA courses across Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Arts will have their work exhibited and 3 of them will curate the work from UAL.

Following the success of the 2020 London Grads Now., this second edition aims to support and highlight the emerging artists of today and will feature over 200 artworks created and curated by MA graduates from 7 of London’s leading art schools. This headline show will cover 9 galleries across 2 floors with dedicated exhibition space allocated to each school.

London Grads Now. was initially conceived in 2020 when UK government COVID restrictions meant in-person graduation shows could not go ahead. The exhibition will give a unique insight into exceptional teaching techniques, artistic practices and cultural approaches – a microcosm of the diversity of London.

This exhibition will showcase some of the best new artistic talent our city has to offer and represents another brilliant reason for visitors and Londoners to come back into central London to visit our world class galleries as part of the Mayor’s Let’s Do London campaign. More than 200 artworks created by the next generation of artists will be on display – each one represents a triumph for art against the setbacks faced by so many emerging artists during the pandemic.

— Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries
8 people standing outside the Saatchi gallery - they are the curators of the exhibition. One person is holding a laptop open with a portrait of a woman on the screen - she is remotely curating.
Curators of the London Grad Now. 21 exhibition. From left to right: Jingwen Weng & Lingfei Rena Song (UAL: Central Saint Martins), Shahrzad Jahan (Kingston, remotely from Iran), Weishan Yang (Kingston assistant) Victoria Cantons (UCL: Slade School of Art), Thomas Hjelm & Lauren Bevan (Royal College of Art), LaTosha Monique (Goldsmiths University), Juan Bolivar ( UAL: Camberwell College of Arts, UAL: Chelsea College of Arts)

To address meaningful and timely dialogues and concerns, curators have selected artworks focusing on themes including environmentalism, gender identity, post-pandemic reflections, UK race politics as well as explorations of the human psyche. The works selected for London Grads Now. 21 span moving image, assemblage, installation, performance, painting, sculpture, photography and drawing.

The artworks selected reveal the confines of human knowledge, demonstrate the artists’ tolerance and diverse understandings of the unfamiliar and the unusual, and highlight mankind’s relentless quest for adventures and new discoveries.

— Jingwen Weng and Lingfei Rena Song, who are curating the work from Central Saint Martins
In the corner of a white room, dark fabrics and rocks look like they are infecting the room by climbing the wall and spilling out.
Perpetual Decomposer by Victoria Rotaru, UAL: Camberwell College of Arts

The exhibition will include MA graduates from:

  • Camberwell College of Arts (curated by Juan Bolivar)
  • Central Saint Martins (curated by Jingwen Weng & Lingfei Rena Song)
  • Chelsea College of Arts (curated by Juan Bolivar)
  • UCL: Slade School of Art (curated by Victoria Cantons)
  • Goldsmiths University (curated by LaTosha Monique)
  • Royal College of Art (curated by Thomas Hjelm & Lauren Bevan), and, new to this years’ edition
  • Kingston School of Art (curated remotely from Tehran, Iran by Shahrzad Jahan).

The exhibition identity was also developed by Camberwell MA graduate Tom White.

Book now

Tickets are from £5 with concessions available. Under 10s go free (T&Cs apply) and Saatchi Gallery Members go free.

Walk-ins are welcome but pre-booking is advised. Tickets can be booked in advance online.

Explore

Find out more about London Grads Now. 21

Discover the work from last year’s UAL graduates at London Grads Now. 20

Explore the UAL Graduate Showcase to support emerging talent

See the Saatchi Gallery website

  • 3-Emma-Liao-ual-cheslea.jpg
    Untitled by Emma Liao, UAL: Chelsea College of Arts
  • 15-John-Sachpazis.jpg
    (Un)Becoming Monster(s) by John Sachpazis, UAL: Camberwell College of Arts
  • 13-Tom-White-camberwell.jpg
    Lucky Red by Tom White, UAL: Camberwell College of Arts
  • 14-smile_bridle-2_nicoletta_pazzaglia_Photoed-by-Camilla-Buzzai,.jpg
    Smile Bridle 2, Nicoletta Pazzaglia, photographed by Camilla Buzzai, UAL: Central Saint Martins
  • 2-Melitta-Nemeth-camberwell.jpg
    Night Bathers 3 by Melitta Nemeth, UAL: Camberwell College of Arts