Jame St Findlay, a recent graduate of the Royal Academy Schools, has been named the prestigious Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize winner. The announcement was made at an award ceremony by renowned artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin RA at Claridge’s, coinciding with his major exhibition at the Royal Academy.
St Findlay was chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, including Royal Academicians Ryan Gander and Oona Grimes, following the RA Schools Show. The prize, which includes £30,000 and support for a solo exhibition, is awarded annually to a graduating student from the Royal Academy Schools. This funding also covers exhibition production costs, with the backing of Claridge’s.
The Royal Academy and Claridge’s have been neighbours for over a century. Both institutions pride themselves on excellence and being home to artists and creatives. The Royal Academy and Claridge’s are committed to supporting artists at a time when fees for higher education are skyrocketing and the costs of artists’ studio spaces in London are now out of reach.
The RA Schools have been a vital part of the Royal Academy since its foundation in 1769. Each year, the RA Schools offer a full-time, three-year programme to 17 early career artists. There are no fees. Graduates of the RA Schools have contributed to art and culture in the UK and internationally through art practice, education, research, curatorial practice, and collaboration. Stretching back to 1769, graduates include William Blake and JMW Turner, as well as living artists Lynnette Yiadom-Boakye, Michael Armitage RA, Eddie Peake, Prem Sahib, Rebecca Ackroyd, Kobby Adi, and Ayo Akingbade exemplify the range of recent graduates.
Sir Michael Craig-Martin RA said: “Supporting the next generation of artists with the freedom to make and show their work has played a significant role in my career as an artist and teacher. The Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize provides an exceptional platform for an emerging artist to come into their own on the contemporary art scene following three years at Britain’s oldest art school on Piccadilly, in the heart of London. The fact that the RA Schools has not charged student fees since its foundation 256 years ago allows students to take crucial risks in their art making, essential to keeping contemporary art practice in Britain alive.”
Eliza Bonham Carter, Curator and Director, Royal Academy Schools, said: “James St Findlay is an artist who works with film and sculpture, creating ornate, sprawling theatrical installations. Ideas of tragicomedy, codified or broken systems, and industrial/post-industrial landscapes are folded into forms and subjects, absurd, messy, serious and acerbically witty. I greatly look forward to seeing James’s work develop with the support of the Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize.”
A major exhibition of the inaugural prize winner, Royal Academy Schools graduate Daria Blum, is currently showing at the John Pawson designed Claridge’s ArtSpace in London. Daria Blum: Drip Drip Point Warp Spin Buckle Rot runs until 25 October 2024.
Jame St Findlay is a multidisciplinary Scottish artist working mainly across film, sculpture, and performance mediums. Raised gay and lonely in the industrialised backlands of central Scotland, St Findlay’s work often uses pastoral imagery in conjunction with themes of commerce, collapse, melodrama, and humour as a tonic for misery. The suited drone worker/ the heterosexual family man is a recurring character in St Findlay’s work, used as a vehicle to convey narratives of conformity, Collapse, and time.
The Royal Academy School is an independent school of contemporary art that offers up to 17 students each year the opportunity to participate in a free, three-year postgraduate programme. Founded in 1769, the RA Schools remain independent to this day. This independence enables the postgraduate programme to adapt to each student’s needs constantly. Lectures, artist talks, group critiques, and tutorials given by leading contemporary artists, Royal Academicians, critics, writers, and theorists fuel discussion and debate.
The RA Schools recently reopened following a major redevelopment designed by David Chipperfield Architects and conservation specialists Julian Harrap Architects. The project preserves the RA Schools’ heritage and has also created state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the RA School’s position as one of the leading art schools in the UK.