Hair Dryer by Michael Shultz
Foe-me by Davide Maione
The Catlin Guide 2012: New Artists in the UK will launch at the London Art Fair 18 – 22 January at the Business Design Centre, Islington with a limited number of copies given away free to visitors to the The Catlin Guide stand. Now in its third year, this beautifully designed limited edition book is an essential guide for collectors of emerging artists. Each year, curator and art writer Justin Hammond visits MA and BA degree shows across the UK and picks 40 of the most talented UK graduates for inclusion. The Catlin Guide is the only publication to provide an authoritative overview of the graduate art scene.
Many of the artists showcased in previous editions of The Catlin Guide have already gone on to feature in major international exhibitions. Currently showing as part of New Contemporaries are Catlin Guide artists Joshua Bilton and Leah Capaldi. Leah’s infamous performance piece ‘Allure’ was conceived as a direct result of being selected for The Guide. “I was thrilled to be a part of last year’s Catlin Guide and, as soon as it launched, I noticed an upsurge in interest in my work. As a performance artist, the nature of what I do is transitory and difficult to document, so the publicity proved invaluable. The Catlin Guide proves that there are people out there who are willing to take a risk on you because they believe your work can succeed.”
The Catlin Guide itself is fast becoming a collector’s item. The first edition has sold out and is changing hands at inflated prices, while just a few copies of the 2011 Guide remain. The Catlin Guide 2012 will be published on 18th January and will be available from Amazon, Culture Label and selected book sellers (£12.99). Each copy provides details of future shows, news of where to see and buy artists’ work and full colour reproductions of each artist’s key pieces.
One of the artists selected for the new edition of the Guide is BA graduate Michael Schultz. His huge pink ‘Hair Dryer’ flanked by a latex-clad model proved to be a real bone of contention at the Goldsmiths final show and was snapped up by Charles Saatchi.
Also featured is photographer Jonny Briggs. Jonny received his MA from the Royal College of Art in 2011 and went on to win the Conrad Award and also the Saatchi Gallery’s annual graduate prize, New Sensations. A strong narrative and sense of performance inhabit his photography – his parents are recurring characters – emoting themes of childhood/adulthood, love/resentment and feelings expressed/reserved.
