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Chelsea graduate and Senior Lecturer Brian Dawn Chalkley awarded grant

Brian Dawn Chalkley (centre) with Yuko and David Juda. They're stood infront of Brian's work
  • Written byEleanor Harvey
  • Published date 26 September 2022
Brian Dawn Chalkley (centre) with Yuko and David Juda. They're stood infront of Brian's work
Brian Dawn Chalkley (centre) with David and Yuko Juda at Annely Juda Fine Art

Congratulations to artist and Chelsea College of Arts graduate Brian Dawn Chalkley, who has been awarded the 2022 David and Yuko Juda Art Foundation Grant.

The annual grant awards £50,000 to one artist to help alleviate some of the financial pressures and to give them more freedom to concentrate on their practice.

A sample of Brian Dawn's work
Group of works by Brian Dawn Chalkley, 2022 pencil, ink and embroidery on cotton pillowcases

Brian Dawn Chalkley

Brian Dawn Chalkley is a visual and performance artist, storyteller and teacher who has been exploring gender, sexuality and identity for more than four decades, first in private and then in their art.

The exploration of identity can be seen in the development of their female persona Dawn, who allows the artist to create work that is not tied to the same restrictions as Brian. Dawn was a leading influence in London’s underground trans clubbing scene in the 1980s and 90s, a time when it was deemed unacceptable and perverse.

Brian Dawn graduated with a BA in Painting from Chelsea in 1973, and they’ve taught at the College since 1990, including as Course Leader for MA Fine Art. They’re currently a Senior Lecturer on the BA Fine Art course.

After many years of being course leader of the MA Fine Art at Chelsea, followed by this level of recognition in my studio practice is extraordinary. It has filled me with confidence and ambition for the future.

— Brian Dawn Chalkley

David and Yuko Juda Art Foundation Grant 

The David and Yuko Juda Art Foundation awards an annual grant of £50,000 to one artist.

Each year, a curator is appointed to put forward around 8 artists for the grant. A panel of judges, made up of the charity’s trustees and a selection of guest judges and art experts from various institutions, decide to whom the grant will be given.

This year choosing was incredibly difficult - all eight [artists] could have been awarded the grant. However, we felt that Brian Dawn Chalkley's work stood out as somehow quite different and was a revelation to us all.

— David and Yuko Juda, Trustees of the David and Yuko Juda Art Foundation

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