Arts / Bristol

Bristol artist shortlisted for prestigious prize

By Steve Wright  Tuesday Dec 19, 2017

Pictured above: Tom Waugh, ‘Petrol Can’

Bristol artist Tom Waugh is one of eight UK artists to reach the shortlist for a prestigious global art prize presented by online art gallery Rise Art.

With 2,300 submissions from across the globe, the selected finalists for Rise Art’s £10,000 global art prize will have their work judged by an all-star panel including the likes of Gavin Turk, David Bailey and Ben Eine.

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Tom Waugh is a sculptor who creates hyperrealistic sculptures of waste and rubbish carved from stone and marble off-cuts. Objects are squashed, wrinkled and crushed – yet his pieces often echo the veiled and draped figures of classical statuary. As his biography on the Rise site states, “there’s a fascinating contrast in Tom’s work between the beauty and value of the materials he uses, and the worthless items he represents.” Tom studied Stone Carving at the City and Guilds of London Art School.

Tom Waugh, ‘Crushed Box‘

Launched in October 2017, the Rise Art Prize seeks to unearth the best established and up-and-coming artists from around the world, offering a career-defining prize to the selected winner.

In its debut year, the Rise Art Prize has reviewed over 16,000 artists and received 2,300 submissions. The art prize is the only one of its kind to actively seek out artist entries globally with expert judging panels from five all-encompassing regions of the world.

Tom Waugh, ‘Bag for Life’

Global judges have been looking for creative excellence, original ideas and technical skill in choosing their winners from each of twelve different categories. The Global Artist of the Year will receive a £10,000 cash prize, along with the opportunity to exhibit their work at an international exhibition in Central London, business and financial mentorship from industry experts, a short biopic around their practice, and editorial, marketing and exhibition opportunities through Rise Art.

Other accolades up for grabs include UK Artist of the Year and UK Young Artist of the Year, plus individual category winners for different mediums including Street Art, Painting, Drawing, Screen Printing, Photography and Sculpture.

For more info, visit www.riseartprize.com/finalists

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