Chelsea MA Fine Art Showcase 2024
- Written byKat Newman
- Published date 23 July 2024
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Written by Post-Grad Community Ambassador Kat Newman (MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins 2025)
On Tuesday 2nd July 2024, I visited the MA Fine Art Show at Chelsea. I had been particularly keen to visit the show having studied on the Fine Art Graduate Diploma at Chelsea the previous year. I knew some of my course mates had decided to stay and complete the course.
I could not wait to see how their work had progressed and learn more about the artists they were becoming.
The first clue of the MA Fine Art Show when I entered, was the alarming sight of what looked like a person hanging out of a first-floor window. Having prior knowledge of several artists in the show, it quickly dawned on me this mysterious figure hanging from the building had to be the work of Daniel Whitehead (MA Fine Art).
This was the first of many human shaped sculptures dotted around campus. Two figures with hoods over their head sat on a bench outside C studios; a figure in a hazmat suit sprays a tree; a seated figure covered in a white bed sheet. These works all had the same, dark humour Whitehead had exhibited when we studied together.
The previous week I attended the Central Saint Martin’s Postgraduate Art Show where there were some obvious differences between the two UAL colleges.
The main difference is that Chelsea College is the neighbour to Tate Britain and situated on the River Thames, so immediately felt much calmer. The MA Fine Art show was spread across the campus allowing lots of space for each artist.
Artworks were exhibited outside in the Parade Ground, and much of the show took place inside Blocks A, B and C that hold the ‘always creepy morgue’, the lecture theatre, the Cookhouse and the Triangle Space.
After speaking with the welcome desk, I began my exploration of Block C. Immediately, I was struck by how much space each student had for their work.
The pieces varied in this section of the show. From a life sized matryoshka doll by Stefano Sacco (MA Fine Art) to girly ceramic trinket-like objects, strewn on purple faux fur, combined with stuffed toys, and felt shapes by Arianna Ruggiero (MA Fine Art).
Large, folded aluminium sheet sculptures by Poppy O’Brien (MA Fine Art) alongside colourful pencil drawings of intimate domestic scenes by Yasmin Ghandour (MA Fine Art). A large black & white video projection of someone eating chalk sticks whilst being struck on the palm of the hand after every mouthful by Julia Kaminska (MA Fine Art).
The show moved seamlessly into the Cookhouse where students, again, had lots of space for their work. On display were sculptural installations, video works and expanded paintings. Ruin style blocks were spaced out on the floor, creating the set and props for Sookyung Kim’s (MA Fine Art) performance When you find your body in the future, 2024.
The entire room was painted a vibrant lilac, floor, walls and radiators included. In the middle a desk with a projector, scissors, string, and multi-coloured cellophane sheets sat on top. From the ceiling hung translucent abstract cellophane shapes. The whole room became a painting, a studio, a performance, a mobile; an in between space which invited calmness and contemplation. This work Portal, 2024 by Gracie Schylling (MA Fine Art) who I studied with, and felt immensely proud of the development in her practice.
I nodded a ‘hello’ to the security guard as I entered the Triangle Space and was impressed by how creatively the space had been used. I remember showing my work here before and recall the challenges of the strip lighting and large glass wall.
In the centre stood large paper imprints of architectural spaces by Wies Roeterdink (MA Fine Art). Hung along two walls were huge screenprints of naked men lying on their back with halos around their heads. These were printed on a surface made from the underside of a billboard, by Cheo Gonzalez. (MA Fine Art).
To the right, ceramic tubes stacked on top of one another tentatively touch the floor, next to pigeons, which may have been made out of bricks by Eduardo Sessa (MA Fine Art). As I was leaving, I was surprised to see more brick-pigeons sitting atop the large metal door frame and chuckled at this humorous intervention.
Curatorially, this was a wonderful and complete space. The materiality of each work called to the material in the other works, asking questions of their environment.
I bumped into Gracie as I headed to Block B. We both studied on the Fine Art Graduate Diploma at Chelsea. Gracie decided to stay at Chelsea for her MA, and I opted for Central Saint Martins. I congratulated Gracie on the show and how impressed I was with her installation in the Cookhouse. I asked how her time on the MA course had been and her eyes widened slightly. She responded with one word: ‘intense!’.
After saying goodbye, I continued on with exploring the show. Over the bridge to Block A the corridor had been utilised to exhibit the work of Haohui He (MA Fine Art). Visitors were encouraged to keep going by arrows, signs of ‘exhibition continues this way’ and an increasing number of A4 exhibition posters for past shows.
I was perplexed. Why hang posters for events which have already happened?
I then noticed the original dates and locations had been crossed out and written over. Following this signage, I found myself at the end of the corridor, entering a series of rooms. It looked like they had been set up for a performance where they were still waiting for performer.
I got the impression these were re-stagings of previous presentations of work and the rooms had been curated with this awareness. I found it funny and engaging. It made me think about the process of making artworks public.
If you are new to Chelsea the layout can be confusing, so this section of the MA Fine Art show was quite removed. The use of posters and signs was a great decision by the artist(s) to bring the audience to their work.
The MA Fine Art studios transformed into an exhibiting space that were occupied by many floor-based artworks. One, was a scaffolding platform, standing on sand piles, littered with small sculptures of human and animal parts blended with technology by Elisa Capucci (MA Fine Art).
Further along the corridor in the Morgue, there were intriguing video works by Yasmin Ghandour (MA Fine Art) tackling ideas around memorabilia and identity.
After a two-hour visit, feeling confident I had seen the entire show, I decided to head home. The Chelsea MA Fine Art show was a wonderful and intriguing showcase of new artistic talent.
Later that day, as I shared with my partner what I had seen, it occurred to me I must send a message to the old graduate diploma WhatsApp chat and congratulate those involved in the show.
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