British artist Curtis Holder shortlisted for The John Ruskin Prize

I am excited to announce that my large multilayered drawing ‘Will You Hear Me?’ has been shortlisted for The John Ruskin Prize.

Now in its 6th edition, The John Ruskin Prize is an international multi-disciplinary art prize inspired by the values of the radical 19th century polymath, John Ruskin. It aims to reflect a central thread of the artist and writer’s belief that art has the power to reveal and celebrate universal truths, and that a good artist and maker should always be guided by that search.

My work ‘Will You Hear Me?’ is part of a series of portraits titled ‘The Talk’ in which I explore and document intimate conversations with my sitters about our shared experiences as Black men.

The selection panel shortlisted 78 artists from over 4000 submitted artworks responding to this year’s theme ‘Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unspoken’. This year’s selectors are Narinder Sagoo MBE, Cornelia Parker CBE RA, Bob and Roberta Smith RA, Dr Rachel Dickinson, Gary Hill, Julian Stair and Jane Barnes.

An exhibition of the shotlisted works titled ‘Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unspoken’ will take place at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London from 01 to 17 February, 2024.

Will You Hear Me? by Curtis Holder. coloured pencil on paper, 120 x 120 cm, 2022