When thinking of Tiffany & Co., the 1837-founded fine jewellery company synonymous with timeless luxury, the image of a screaming woman tipping a full bucket of water over her head in the middle of a gallery space might not be the first thing to come to mind. But last night, as part of a new exhibition showcasing the work of seven emerging London-based artists selected to receive the Tiffany x Outset Contemporary Art Fund Prize, this was exactly one of the performative pieces on display.
In fact, Tiffany’s relationship to the world of conceptual art is both symbiotic and longstanding. As Richard Moore, vice president and creative director of the company’s store design and creative visual merchandising – and one of the five influencers comprising the prize’s judging panel – explains: “It started with our founder Charles Lewis Tiffany 180 years ago. He was a big supporter of the arts, one of the original trustees at The Met in New York, and really believed in many creative endeavours. His son, Louis Comfort Tiffany, was an artist himself, specialising in glasswork and painting. Then there was Gene Moore, who created the window displays from 1955 to 1984, and he collaborated with many artists, including Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. So art is something that has been a part of our DNA, our brand legacy and history. That’s why this project feels so right – it is totally within the realms of who we are as a brand.”
2017 is the prize’s inaugural year, and it arrives at a particularly pertinent moment. For young graduates situated in cities such as London or New York, the rising cost of living makes maintaining a practice outside the walls of art school increasingly difficult. “There is a disconnection in the amazing level of creativity and integrity of art, along with the incredible art schools in cities such as London,” says Moore. “That disconnect is something that Tiffany felt quite passionate about.” In teaming up with Outset, the only international, independent charity garnering patron support for emerging artists, the company has extended its philanthropic hand to thousands of these talented individuals.
The panel, including fêted multi-media artist Eddie Peake, ultimately chose the seven who they felt would particularly benefit from receiving rent-free studio spaces. “We went through so many submissions. It was a question of ‘what will this artist do without a free studio space for the year? Where will they go, and what will that path look like?’ We had to think about how they would feed off each other and collaborate as a result of inhabiting the spaces in Tottenham together – sort of like a community. It had to be potentially life-changing for the artists.” Here, we introduce the prizewinners, each recent graduates of London’s most prestigious art institutions, and each a one to watch.
1. Jade Blackstock, Royal College of Art, MA Performance (above)
Performance artist Jade Blackstock is behind the aforementioned work comprising of her own scream, a bucket of water and a bulging sack suspended in the centre of the gallery space. “In my practice, themes of race, femininity, loss and resistance tie together with explorations of spectacle, constructed identity and social commentary. I tend to make very material-based performances, to produce visual and fragmented narratives which combine the conceptual, historical and physical qualities of materials with the physicality and limitations of my body,” she says.
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