Weatherbys Private Bank is championing the next generation of talented artists with an exhibition at its office in the heart of London’s Mayfair over the next five months.
As part of the University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Arts and Camberwell College of Arts have a reputation for producing some of today’s leading artists and designers. The students are encouraged to radically engage with contemporary fine art and design practice. The artwork in our Sackville office span a wide range of mediums, including photography, acrylic paint, sand and soft pastels.
Mark Slaviero of Weatherbys, says: “We are once again thrilled to be supporting one of London’s most prestigious art and design Universities and the next generation of up-and-coming artists. Many of our clients have a passion for art and this exhibition not only gives them a unique preview of tomorrow’s emerging talent but they have an opportunity to purchase a piece of art too.”
Collaborations are central to the ethos of University of the Arts London’s Fine Art programme. It emphasises the importance of making artwork accessible to the public and engaging with audiences outside traditional art venues. This approach helps students prepare for practical challenges beyond the studio by providing valuable insights into submitting proposals, pricing artwork, and meeting the high standards expected for public display.
Ian Munro, MA Fine Art Course Leader at Chelsea College of Arts says: “Our course is a practice-led course – but the artistic practice isn’t just about making compelling works of art, it’s also about figuring out how best to exhibit it and talk about it with real-life audiences. So, opportunities like this one with Weatherbys Private Bank are an excellent way for students to gain valuable experience in real-life curating, installation and audience engagement. It is an incredible opportunity for students to see their work in a new context with a new audience.”
Following a shortlisting process, Weatherbys has selected the works of seven artists – Anna Gutierrez-Garcia, Hannah Dixon, Joe Devereux, Lily Smith, Natalia Gourova, Yaqi Zheng and Melina Mageira. The artworks in this collection have different aesthetic and material approaches. However, they all share an intense interest in the richness of surfaces and materials as well as an exploration of the abstract versus the representational.
Melina Mageira’s work of photography, for example, evokes emotions and captures the English winter countryside on her first visit to the UK. “I always carry my camera to document moments and places that resonate deeply with me. I try to convey a sense of melancholy and nostalgia, illustrating how places, even far from home, can evoke a profound sense of belonging.” Meanwhile, Joe Devereux’s piece called ‘Reenactment’ is a combination of goache, oil charcoal and ink on canvas and represents how our psychology exists today..
For many of the students, the Weatherby exhibition is their first opportunity to showcase some of their work publicly and marks the start of their artistic careers. Lily Smith, whose art is inspired by life and the natural world says that “words cannot describe how happy” she is to have work exhibited with Weatherbys Private Bank, while Yaqi Zheng, who draws inspiration from Fauvism and 20th-century Abstract Expressionism is “honoured to have been chosen with a bank that has such historical significance”.