The work of some of the country’s brightest young artists will be on display when the Newcastle University Fine Art Degree Show opens.

The paintings, photographs, sculptures, live performance and video installations of 50 students will take over the University’s Hatton Gallery and the Fine Art building for the next two weeks, before heading to London.

The display includes photographs inspired by Japanese Haiku poems by Harriet Bowery, while Will Smyth examines the manipulative power of advertising and Lucy Burns explores the impact of the miners’ strike with text and editorial images.

The exhibition is the most visited show in the Hatton Gallery’s annual calendar and the degree has just been ranked 2nd overall in the Guardian's University Guide 2015 league table for art.

Phil Frankland, whose work features a mix of painting and collage on aluminium, said: “The degree show is the culmination of four years work and you want it to show the very best of what you do and what you have learned. It’s an exciting experience to prepare for the show, although it is sad too as it is the end of our degree.

"Newcastle has a reputation for producing strong artists and we’re really looking forward to when it heads to London as this is when the students get to try their hand at curating.”

Professor Andrew Burton, Head of Fine Art, added: “Every year the standard of the work on show just seems to get better and better.

“This year we have a really fantastic show including paintings, photography, sculpture, video and art installations. I think anyone who wants to see what the next generation of artists are up to should come along and see for themselves just how good the future of art is looking.”

Graduates of Fine Art’s class of 2013 have gone on to enjoy success.  Performance artist Faye Green won the prestigious Dazed & Confused Emerging Artist competition, Louise Mackenzie won the New Graduate Award at Synthesis, Manchester Science Festival 2013; while Katie Hayward is one of 40 artists featured in this year's Bloomberg New Contemporaries, an annual touring exhibition where she fought off competition from 1,400 applicants to be selected.

The Fine Art Degree Show is on at the Hatton Gallery from Friday 30 May (private viewing) until 14 June and will then move to the Truman Brewery, in Brick Lane, London, from 3 July (private viewing) until 7 July.

Pictured: work by Gemma Herries

published on: 30 May 2014