Winners revealed in Student Art & Photography exhibition 2023
Nearly 100 entries in this year's competition showcasing creative skills
Talented winners and runners-up in the 2023 St John’s College Student Art and Photography Competition have been announced.
Submissions in the form of photographs, paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and digital films were invited for this year’s competition, which was open to all Junior Members of College in residence, with prizes of up to £200 offered.
The competition closed at the end of April and the 98 entries have now been judged anonymously by a panel comprising College academics Richard Partington, Senior Tutor; Professor Deborah Howard, Professor Emerita of Architectural History, and History of Architecture Fellow at St John’s; and Dr Darshil Shah, Associate Professor in Materials Science, Design Studio Teaching Fellow in Architecture and Design and Director of Studies in Architecture at St John’s.
In the Fine and Applied Art – Paintings, Drawings or Prints section, the winner is second-year Architecture undergraduate Shani Wright for Darwin's Black Box. The judges said Shani’s work was original, detailed, with beautiful motifs, an interesting theme and ‘very skilful execution’. Lucy Walker, a PhD student in Chemistry, is highly commended for Hibiscus Flower #1 and 2 and Archie Maton, a second-year Architecture undergraduate, is highly commended for View from a Third Court bathroom.
No first prize has been awarded in the Sculpture or Work of Applied Arts section of the category, but fourth-year medic Anna Nather is highly commended for Keeping it Together. In the Digital Films section, Archie Maton takes top prize for St John’s: 100ft Down – which the judges called ‘very original, sad and thought-provoking’ – while Alexander Kusztyk, a PhD student in the History of Art, is highly commended for Oculi Omnium.
In the Photography – Black and White Prints category, Chemical Engineering PhD student Leopold Kloyer comes first with The Couple and is highly commended for Tembo, while Melany Henot, a third-year Natural Sciences undergraduate, is also highly commended for Variegated.
Winner in the Colour Prints photography category is fellow third-year Natural Sciences undergraduate Marcell David Hunyadi for Heron in front of wall of ivy in autumn colours. Anna Strazda, who is in the second-year of a Medical Sciences degree, and Leopold Kloyer are highly commended for Summer internship in Memphis and Golden Hour in Africa respectively.
In the College or College Life photography group, Anne Auchter – an MPhil student in Heritage Studies – scoops first prize for The Art Room on All Hallow's Eve. Leopold Kloyer is highly commended for More Than Just Arches and Anna Strazda for New Court Poppy Field.
The judges would like to thank everyone who took part in this year’s competition and to commend the high standard of entries. The winning entries in each category have been approved by College Council, along with the highly commended art and photography.
Winners in the three Photography categories win £100 each while prizes of £200 go to the students placed first in the Paintings or Drawings and Digital Films categories of the Fine and Applied Arts section.
All the entries can be viewed in the Exhibition area of the Library between 9am and 5pm weekdays until 15 June 2023.
* Note: Image copyright remains with the artist/photographer of each entry.
Published 2/6/2023