Curator, artwork advisor, and Director of Inexpensive Artwork Honest UK, Hugo Barclay is a Visitor Choose for Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2025. With an acute understanding of the gallery ecosystem, he’s notably captivated with nurturing residing artists and the galleries supporting them. On this interview, he discusses his inventive background, what made him select his Choose’s Alternative Award winner final 12 months, and leaning into his instincts when wanting by the entries.
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, and tradition
Hugo Barclay: Director of Inexpensive Artwork Honest UK, Curator, and Artwork Advisor
Joshua Donkor: Artist, member of the Modern British Portrait Painters
Andrew Torr: Artist, winner of Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 along with his portray ‘Property’
Interview with Hugo Barclay
Josephine: Welcome again to the judging panel for the third 12 months! Are you able to inform us slightly bit about your journey within the artwork world and the way it led to your present function as director of the artwork agency UK?
Hugo: My journey into the inventive business actually got here from my childhood. I come from a household of creatives; each my mother and father are working towards vocational artists, so I grew up at dwelling with a studio. So the concept of ideation, of creating artwork and of inventive freedom got here very naturally. On the age of 12, I used to be awarded an Artwork and Design Scholarship, and that gave me the arrogance to leap into the business and discover the concept of understanding how one can see.
Early in my profession, I shortly got here to phrases with the concept that I needed to focus extra on the industrial aspect of the business. So I’ve curated exhibitions, labored with galleries to leverage the web, labored on artwork commissions and naturally, artwork gala’s, which is what I do now. Artwork gala’s deliver collectively each an enormous quantity of people that need to purchase and have interaction with artwork, and naturally, the artwork galleries, who assist all of the represented artists who work tirelessly to supply artwork.

The Jackson’s Artwork Prize stand at Inexpensive Artwork Honest, 2024
Josephine: Final 12 months, you selected Sugar Plum Phrases, as your Judges Alternative Award winner. What was it about Melanie Berman’s work that spoke to you, and was it arduous to decide on a favorite from the longlist?
Hugo: It actually is a difficult goal to undergo so many submissions and select only one individual from hundreds, however Melanie’s work actually stood out to me. There was an fascinating relationship between the color, form, and detrimental area in her follow. That drew me in and needed me to discover extra concerning the interaction of these issues.

Sugar Plum Phrases, 2024
Melanie Berman
Acrylic on linen, 70 x 60 cm | 27.55 x 23.62 in
Josephine: What did you discover most gratifying when judging the competitors final 12 months, and had been there any memorable moments?
Hugo: It’s the third time that I’ve judged Jackson’s Artwork Prize, and one of many issues that I discover so gratifying about judging it’s that it’s a prize for all visible artists. We see hundreds of submissions which are actually worldwide, artists from throughout borders. And likewise we now have artists which are actually early stage, early profession artists by to established artists.
Josephine: What exhibitions or artists have impressed you over the past 12 months?
Hugo: One of many exhibitions that I all the time stay up for seeing yearly is the members’ present on the Edinburgh Printmakers. I spend loads of time up in Scotland, and Edinburgh Printmakers is an excellent establishment that has a whole lot of members; artists which are concerned within the artwork of printmaking. The members’ present on the finish of November showcases all kinds of what the members have been producing yearly, and it’s only a actually heat, beautiful present.
Josephine: What is going to you be searching for within the submissions this 12 months?
Hugo: There are two issues I’ll be searching for in submissions. The primary is consistency – I believe that it’s essential to see how follow has developed – not essentially an artist doing the identical factor over and over, however actually consistency in a holistic manner about your follow: is it grounded across the identical subjects and identical topics?
And the second factor is for artists to be themselves. You is perhaps submitting a submission that’s going to get judged by exterior individuals, however don’t produce artwork for us judges, produce artwork for your self. That’s actually essential, and that may come throughout in your follow.

Guests have a look at Watering by Daisuke Minowa (left) and Sugar Plum Phrases by Melanie Berman (proper) on the Non-public View night.
Josephine: What’s your favourite a part of the artwork gala’s and why?
Hugo: We’re actually wanting ahead to having Jackson’s Artwork Prize again for the showcase on the Hampstead Honest in 2025. One of many issues that I stay up for is reconnecting with our galleries. We now have some galleries which were exhibiting with us for 20 years, after which we now have some galleries the place it’s their first time taking part in our gala’s. I simply love reconnecting with our galleries and their sellers, and speaking to them concerning the new artists that they’re bringing on and which are taking part this 12 months, and simply speaking store with them.

The Jackson’s Artwork Prize stand at Inexpensive Artwork Honest, 2024
Josephine: What recommendation would you give to artists submitting their work to the competitors this 12 months?
Hugo: The recommendation that I’d counsel artists take into consideration when submitting artworks are a few issues. The primary is don’t overthink. I’d a lot moderately you get the work over the road and submit it, than get consumed overthinking whether or not you’re submitting the correct factor or not the correct factor.
The second is from a holistic perspective, simply be your self and submit works which are actually about you, and your soul will shine by your work should you do this. Don’t submit works that you just assume we must always see, however submit works which are actually about your follow.
And the third level is to be inspired. Do not forget that though there are literally thousands of submissions, you actually have a combating probability to be chosen for one of many prizes. It’s a particularly fashionable competitors however be inspired – it’s a really clear competitors that you’ve a possibility to win.

Guests view the First Prize winner, Property by Andrew Torr.
How do you steadiness private desire with broader developments within the artwork world when making your judgement?
Hugo: I discover developments are usually fairly short-term and never timeless. I’d encourage all artists which are contemplating submitting works not to have a look at developments, however actually be a person and submit works for your self. With private preferences, I’m very conscious that all of us have unconscious biases based mostly on what we’ve been uncovered to. I don’t are likely to struggle them… I believe that if I lean into these instincts, then I’ll actually select the artwork that I join with and have interaction with.
Watch our interview with Hugo Barclay on Instagram
Additional Studying
How We Collaborate With Artists
Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 Exhibition on the Inexpensive Artwork Honest
Artwork Honest Guidelines for Artists
Professional Recommendation on Making Your Approach as an Artist
Go to Jackson’s Artwork Prize web site