
Bow Arts has announced Laisul Hoque as the winner of the second iteration of the East London Art Prize.
Established in 2023 with the aim of celebrating and promoting the diverse art and talent of east London, the Prize awards the winner £15,000 and a solo exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery in Bow, to take place in 2026. Laisul Hoque’s winning work, An Ode to All the Flavours (2024), is an interactive installation piece inspired by the artist’s earliest memory of his father sharing his favourite childhood snack. Resembling an antique sodium-lit “Bangladeshi sweet shop” display counter, An Ode to All the Flavours invites visitors to enjoy these delicacies and contemplate on the nonverbal ways we sometimes express love.
The food is freshly prepared and supplied daily by Oitij-jo Kitchen, an East London-based social enterprise working with local Bengali women to help them achieve financial independence and autonomy from entrenched patriarchal systems. Hoque’s installation establishes Nunnery Gallery as a paid retainer client of Oitij-jo Kitchen throughout the exhibition period, supporting their mission and amplifying their social impact.
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The runner up, Lydia Newman, will receive a year’s free studio space at one of Bow Arts’ studio sites. Newman’s triptych In the Wake of Ruin, She is Here (2024) draws on aspects from her multidisciplinary practice to examine inherited dialogues and internalised ideas of race, globalisation, class, and gender.
Helen Simms, Manager of Arts & Events at Bow Arts, said:
“We are delighted to see Laisul Hoque and Lydia Newman named winner and runner-up in the 2025 East London Art Prize. The Prize epitomises Bow Arts’ commitment to supporting and celebrating artists and creatives, and feels particularly special in 2025, which marks our 30th anniversary.
The power of the East London Art Prize is that we provide ongoing support for all the shortlist, including mentoring and opportunities to work with our amazing partners. I am thrilled to have the chance to work so closely with the incredible 2025 cohort over the coming months.”
Laisul Hoque and Lydia Newman were selected by panelists Jonny Tanna, Founder of Harlesden High Street, journalist Louise Benson, artist Phoebe Collins-James, and Sam Wilkinson, Director of Public Art at UCL, from a shortlist of 12. This iteration of the East London Art Prize received almost 900 submissions, all by artists and collectives living or working within the ‘E’ postcode.
The shortlisted artists were: Darcey Fleming, dmstfctn, Eugene Macki, Fatima Ali, Gusty Ferro, Joseph Ijoyemi, Kuda Mushangi, Laisul Hoque, Liang-Jung Chen, Lydia Newman, Mo Langmuir, and Yang Zou.
The Prize’s shortlist exhibition is on view at the Nunnery Gallery until 13th April 2025.
All of the shortlisted artists will receive ongoing mentoring and career development opportunities in the year following the award.
The winner of the inaugural East London Art Prize (2023-24) was filmmaker Kat Anderson, whose exhibition Mark of Cane was on show at Nunnery Gallery from 9 February until 21 April 2024. The second prize went to multidisciplinary artist Cora Sehgal-Cuthbert.
About the winning artists
Laisul Hoque (b. 1998, Dhaka, Bangladesh) draws from his memories and lived experiences to create image-based works and installations that explore and decode microhistories and their global impacts. His practice investigates communication, miscommunication, and adopts a reparative reading of the past. By creating spaces to revisit societal norms and traditions, and advocating for the recognition of
adverse elements, Hoque imagines how we can act in society. @laisulhoque
Lydia Newman’s work spans painting, sculpture, live performance, and installations, aimed at fostering dialogue and connection through art. Focusing on themes such as social justice, mental health, and personal liberation, she brings a collaborative and inclusive approach to a deeply interconnected practice. Newman has extensive experience in community-focused projects, combining artistic expression with meaningful social impact. Her current body of work explores Black British womanhood; dismantling societal oppression and the multiple masks they adopt to navigate western capitalist society.@ladedum