Meet Andrew Torr, Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2025 Visitor Decide

Andrew Torr received Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 together with his oil portray Property. Now a Visitor Decide for 2025, he discusses remodeling one thing unlovely into one thing stunning, not being afraid of rejection, and the way profitable Jackson’s Artwork Prize is like profitable the FA Cup.

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Visitor Judges

Anita Klein: Printmaker and painter, fellow and previous president of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers

Anne Rothenstein: Artist represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, RWA Academician

Péjú Oshin: Curator, author, and lecturer whose work sits on the intersection of artwork, type, & tradition

Hugo Barclay: Director of Reasonably priced Artwork Honest UK, Curator, and Artwork Advisor

Joshua Donkor: Artist, member of the Up to date British Portrait Painters

Andrew Torr: Artist, winner of Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 together with his portray, Property

 

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Interview with Andrew Torr

Josephine: Are you able to inform us a bit of bit about your self and your inventive follow?

Andrew: My identify is Andrew Torr, I’m a painter and I received Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024. My profitable portray is an efficient indication of what it’s that I’m considering. I’m a figurative painter and I’m presently obsessive about housing estates, ones that you just see dotted across the UK in the intervening time. They’re an fascinating subject material as a result of they’re very often notably unlovely and I’m making an attempt to make one thing stunning out of these issues, which is a superb problem in a method. The method and the method that I now have has come about after lengthy intervals of trialing and experimenting with how one can current that subject material on canvas. What I’m in search of is that candy spot between the factor represented and the type of music that the paint makes on the canvas, the type of abstracted shapes.

 

 

Josephine: Are you able to inform us a couple of profession spotlight or any memorable moments as an artist?

Andrew: Indubitably, profitable Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 has been a spotlight of my profession to date. I had an excellent yr final yr, I used to be fortunate sufficient to be included within the RA Summer season Exhibition and had solo reveals at No Hawkers Gallery in Brighton and Liminal Gallery in Margate. I additionally received accepted into the NEAC Annual Exhibition, so I’ve had numerous highlights this yr however Jackson’s Artwork Prize positively takes the biscuit.

 

 

Josephine: What exhibitions or artists have impressed you over the past yr?

Andrew: One of many reveals that I’ve loved this yr has been Alice Neel on the Barbican, it’s an incredible present. Simply goes to point out that in case you type of plough your individual furrow and consider in what you’re doing, that’s an effective way to reach portray. They’re simply beautiful, heartfelt, home work, guileless, however completely sensible.

The Julie Mehretu present at White Dice was actually good. I’ve at all times preferred her work and it was a bit of bit shocking the way in which she’s gone with it this final yr, however the works had been simply brilliantly creative. Anselm Kiefer was at White Dice as properly, numerous the work he’s been doing just lately was primarily based on Joyce’s Finnegans Wake and I’m a giant James Joyce fan. It was nice to see that he handled that in a very beautiful, respectful method. A tremendous present, I used to be blown away by it.

I used to be additionally fortunate sufficient to see the Nicolas de Staël retrospective on the Trendy Artwork Museum in Paris. Once more, one other painter that I actually love and I’m undecided why he’s not higher recognized off the artwork pages in a method. His work is so conventionally stunning, rigorous and unbelievable, it’s nice to see that present. On the similar time once I was there, the massive Rothko present was on on the Louis Vuitton Basis and it was simply astonishing.

Any of the reveals which have been organised by Up to date British Portray this yr have been nice. I’m not affiliated with them in any method, however I feel that what they do and their perspective to exhibiting and selling good portray has been actually nice. I went right down to Rye to see one in every of their reveals twice. One of many exhibitors there was Paula McArthur, who received the Decide’s Alternative Award by Matthew Burroughs within the Jackson’s Artwork Prize.

 

 

Josephine: How essential or useful do you suppose awards and competitions are to artists immediately?

Andrew: I feel competitions are nice for painters and artists working immediately. Competitions drive you to think about your work in relation to others, one thing we not often do within the studio. Portray is sort of a solitary factor to do, even in case you paint within the studio or in case you paint en plein air or no matter your follow is. You not often put your self up in opposition to different folks in a method that you just do while you enter a contest. You need to be conscious of what distinguishes you from different people who find themselves portray, and what it’s that makes your follow particular. I don’t suppose that we should always ever deal with what we do as a contest in opposition to different folks, fairly it makes you perceive that what you’re making shouldn’t be in a vacuum.

To make use of a soccer analogy, I feel a contest like Jackson’s Artwork Prize is just like the FA Cup fairly than the Champions League. The wonderful thing about the FA Cup is that anyone might probably win it. Like Tooting and Mitcham, who’re my native staff, might find yourself profitable the FA Cup. If you’re working away in your studio someplace within the Midlands and really feel ignored of the artwork world, this can be a terrific likelihood to become involved and have your work judged amongst your friends.

 

Josephine: What made you enter Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024? Did you ever suppose you’ll win?

Andrew: I’ve at all times been impressed with the works chosen for Jackson’s Artwork Prize. I feel anyone who paints is impressed in the identical method, it’s simply very properly regarded. It additionally helped this time round that I used to be longlisted the earlier yr, which type of makes you suppose, “Oh, properly, I should be doing one thing proper.” It form of spurs you on a bit of bit, however I by no means as soon as thought that I might win the competitors. I’m assured within the work that I’m doing and I’m happy with the way in which that it’s going, however you don’t actually know the way it’s being acquired by folks till this stuff occur. That type of validation helps along with your confidence about what you’re doing and helps you perceive that you just is perhaps going the proper method.

 

 

Josephine: Are you trying ahead to deciding on the winner of your individual Decide’s Alternative Award?

Andrew: It’s a terrific honour to be requested to sit down on the judging panel for Jackson’s Artwork Prize this subsequent yr, I’m significantly trying ahead to it. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to win a number of awards through the years and it’s troublesome to quantify how optimistic it may be in an artist’s profession to win these issues. I feel having it in my reward to try this and assist any individual in that method is a superb factor to do.

 

 

Josephine: What’s going to you be in search of amongst the submissions?

Andrew: By way of judging, I feel it’s simpler to say what I’m not in search of than what I’m in search of. I’m not in search of a specific method to portray. As a figurative painter, I’m not the type of painter who would essentially be drawn to figurative portray. In the event you consider one other painter who was one of many winners in final yr’s Jackson’s Artwork Prize, Melanie Berman, her portray was summary and it’s one of the crucial terrific issues within the present. I imply, it was such an amazing portray and it’s no shock that it was a prize-winner.

 

 

Josephine: What recommendation would you give to artists who’re excited about getting into Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2025?

Andrew: My essential recommendation to anyone contemplating getting into the Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2025 is to cease contemplating and enter it. You simply received’t remorse it. I feel there’s a worry amongst painters of rejection while you go into these competitions.

There are such a lot of components concerned in judging these competitions, however none of them displays on the standard of your work. I’ve entered competitions the place I’ve not been thought-about, shortlisted, or longlisted. Then there are others, like this one, the place I’ve finished properly and you may’t gauge it.

You must simply get on with it and do it. I do really feel for actors who go into auditions the place you’re in a room with any individual and also you’re giving over one thing of your self after which any individual seems to be at you and says, “I’m sorry, however you’re not proper for the function.” That should be crushing, however this isn’t like that. Don’t be afraid of rejection. We’re not making these work for competitions, all the things is a improvement. It’s virtually such as you’re being judged at a specific level on what you’re doing. And who is aware of, in case you don’t get on this yr, the route that your work goes could imply that subsequent yr you’ve actually received into your stride and which may be your time. By no means be afraid of getting into for this stuff.

If I had been to supply recommendation to anybody getting into the competitors, I’d say it’s essential to think about how your work matches into the broader world. For me, having an uncommon subject material actually helped. I feel that if persons are that quantity of entries, one thing must make the work stand out from the remainder. I do know that’s simpler mentioned than finished, it’s one thing that we’re at all times making an attempt to do. I didn’t drive a subject onto my work as a result of I assumed it’d be uncommon. A subject has to come back organically, it needs to be one thing that you’re studying from and assured with. You’ll be able to’t drive it, however it’s simply one thing value taking into consideration.

Watch our interview with Andrew Torr on Instagram

Observe Andrew on Instagram

Go to Andrew’s web site

 

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Additional Studying

How We Collaborate With Artists

Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 Exhibition on the Reasonably priced Artwork Honest

Artwork Honest Guidelines for Artists

Knowledgeable Recommendation on Making Your Method as an Artist

 

Go to Jackson’s Artwork Prize web site