newcontemporaries 96
newcontemporaries is Britain’s most important annual exhibition of work by students and recent graduates. From David Hockney to Damien Hirst, the exhibition has consistently helped to boost the careers of young British artists. Since the 1950s, it has provided the public with an insight into new trends in British art and given a platform to emerging artists. This year’s selectors were artist Mark Wallinger, international curator Maria de Corral from Fundacio la Caixa Barcelona, and Associate Editor of the Burlington Magazine, Richard Shone. The exhibition includes paintings, photo-works, videos and sound-pieces by 33 artists, selected from 1600 entries. Strikingly, the emphasis has been away from three-dimensional work, and many of the artists have drawn on popular culture, film, new technologies and their own lives for inspiration.
