London Students Prize 2025

This painting explores the quiet pressure of time; how it limits our physical world as our desire to nurture and love remains expansive. It’s inspired by my grandmother’s life and how her passing impacted my sense of the future. In her final years, she was unable to take care of her garden – a space shaped by years of affection. As the garden began to mirror her condition, I saw the impact of the inability to take care of not only herself but the things she kept close. The vibrant hyacinths contrast with the grayscale surroundings, symbolising bright moments of life suddenly slipping through your fingers. I reduced the scale of the watering can and flower to reflect how a hobby can become too much of a burden. The figure is my father, who was deeply affected by her death. He highlights familial connection and the universal pressure of time. Constrained tightly within the canvas, he’s pressed upon by time itself. His subtle compassionate gaze adds vulnerability, as he’s not performing for the viewer. Although rooted in personal experience, the piece reflects a collective fear of looking back and hoping to see a meaningful life. In loving memory of our Bluebell.

This drawing is taken from a still of a short film inspired by Jean-Luc Goddard’s ‘Breathless’ and focuses on the idea of approaching womanhood. The artist’s sister is captured putting on make-up which is essentially a feminine activity but also mundane. The soundtrack was also key to the image which was Chet Baker’s ‘Born to be Blue’. The black and white stills have been given a contemporary edge by introducing a slice of colour that relate to the printing process of CMYK but also gives the work an analogue feel.

A painting exploring the emotions generated by familiar relationships, questioning the balance of power that is implied. Inspired by Picasso’s blue period work.

This piece examines the dynamics of identity within a crowd, where individuals simultaneously lose and gain a collective presence. It explores the tension between disappearance and emergence as separate selves merge into a unified, shifting system.

Everybody is a connected set of states and characteristics; emotions do not occur in isolation. This painting aims to present a set of distinct emotions through colours and expressions yet emphasise their interconnectivity to each other. Everything from the expressions themselves to the lighting colours and direction of light source, to the angle of the face acts as progression and narrative for the viewer to examine and draw their own story from.  Every reaction has a story, a reason, and everyone will interpret that in different ways. In the human experience any isolated moment cannot be separated from its context and will be infinitely connected to its past and future in ways that cannot be seen in the same capacity, as symbolised by the thread stitched into the canvas to connect key points of the faces together. Everything is always connected, and it is up to each person to decide how.

Lit and hollow hanging collaged cyanotypes, coated in crystal gel, exploring fragmented narratives and the blueprints of a shattered story.

My group portrait “DIY” serves as a reminder of the necessity of challenging our society’s fast paced fashion cycles through authentic unapologetic self expression. This piece is a response to my chosen theme ‘Subvert’; It dares the viewer to embrace their own aesthetic no matter their race, sexuality or gender identity.”DIY” is a celebration of individuality which is reflected in the personalised nature of each portrait. Its vibrant and turbulent nature replicates the feeling of completing a DIY project, an overwhelmingly beautiful process; the chaotic atmosphere created provides an immersive experience for the viewer. The customisation of both the sculptural elements and found objects echoes the unique style of each individual. I thoroughly researched the origins and influences of each style, drawing inspiration from their respective teen magazines to properly inform my choices of trinkets and sculpture. This research transformed my final outcome into a love letter to the D.I.Y ethos rooted within the Gyaru, Goth, Emo and Punk subcultures, which continue to shape the identities of myself and my friends to this day.

The importance of friendship is the essence of this work and as Van Gogh said: ‘There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.’ This is also about how friends are made within a ‘coming of age context’. The composition for this work was inspired by the 80s classic Breakfast Club and the photo that lead to the image was taken in the school canteen. The background relates to the Memphis Design phase which was also a big feature in the 80s. The ephemeral quality of the shapes also hints at the transience of the coming of age.

This piece reflects my emotions on the current situation in the Middle East, examining both visible and underlying emotions expressed in my portrait.

Exploring the rich patterns and textural features in the natural environment and capturing the emotions these evoke.

“Lipstick Traces” is a painting inspired by escaping memories of the summers spent with grandparents as a girl grows up into a woman, still grasping onto her childhood self. The painting explores the quiet, intimate moments set in a place of nostalgia. Rather than depicting loud, brutalist messages it seeks homage to the moments and people that shape us. The colours in the painting are muted yet some appear to be bright, the smallest details forgotten to depict the lasting aspects of a childhood reminiscence.

I became fascinated by the movement captured in sports photography. During a long-term injury that kept me from playing my favourite sport – rugby, photography became my way to stay connected to the game. I began translating these captured moments into screen prints, using colour and layered imagery to express emotion and the passage of time.

This piece, created from a collage of vintage NASA imagery, reflects on the immense effort that goes into space exploration and our pursuit of understanding the universe. Yet, the more we uncover, the more we come to realise our own smallness -mere, fleeting parts of a vast and intricate cosmos that extends far beyond our reach.

This piece explores how historically accounts of women’s maternity have been overlooked. The pomegranate in this piece represents the biblical figure of Leah, forcing the viewer to interact with her as an object for consumption. The crimson underpainting showing in places suggest how (the significance and ability of) the female body has been supressed, like an underpainting. Leaving us a history devoid of female narratives – ironic given that every man in this filtered out history was born of a woman.

In this painting I hoped to offer an exploration of identity, the tension between the formal pose and the looseness of the paint. The blue palette can reinforce themes of alienation. These colours evoke a sense of emotional distance, as though the subject is caught between worlds.

In this artwork I tried to evoke the theme of nature and decay within an urban setting, blending organic forms with a gritty, city-worn visual. I tried to reflect on what is lost and what still survives in the intersection between city and nature. The natural forms, although once lush, are now brittle and ghostly resembling remnants – nature clinging on or left behind – amid the harsh, industrial decay. Symbolising both resilience and fragility in a man-made world.

Though the world may see them, and their skin, as intimidating when I look at Runako and Kamau all I see are my two little brothers. Though the sun may be bright, it’s their laughter that fills the canvas with life; flippant and radiant, their shared joy relays the beautiful rhythm of adolescence, nurtured beneath soft, blooming trees. The trees are rustling and the rookery is busy with laughter, catching fleeting moments from the days we shall never forget.

Using the slow, archaic cyanotype process, this work reimagines current notions of self-portraiture through a Victorian lens. The outdated technique, with its dependence on light and time, evokes a sense of fragility and unease, transforming self image-making into an act of exposure and endurance.

I’ve been living in White City since 2019, and it has become one of my favourite parts of London, celebrating diversity and peace. I chose to express this vibrant spirit in my painting. My visit to Courtauld inspired me as I connected with Edouard Monet’s iconic scene at the Folies-Bergere. This influence merged historical artistry with the contemporary essence of White City. In my work, I draw from my own photographs of Wood Lane Tube Station and incorporate a student who embodies the social integration of pigmentation. Instead of Monet’s wine bottles, I’ve transformed the imagery into symbols of peace and a weighing scale for equality and replaced roses with lotus flowers to reflect the heart of the vibrant White City.

This portrait captures my sister, in a moment of quiet reflection. I wanted to explore the stillness that comes with deep thought, when emotions feel overwhelming. Her head is slightly lowered, her expression calm yet distant, as if she’s lost within herself. It’s a vulnerable and intimate moment, inviting the viewer to connect with her, and perhaps with their own memories of reflection.

I used a monochrome palette to emphasise the emotional gravity of the scene. The texture and movement of her hair, alongside the detail of her skin, contrasts with the simplicity of the background. This contrast symbolises how personal emotions can feel all-consuming, making the outer world fade away. By capturing this moment, I hoped to create a space for others to pause, recognise themselves in her expression, and reflect on their own inner worlds.

I was exploring street life within this project, and within this final piece I wanted to explore the idea of anonymity and people as individuals. People going about their daily lives, collectively but in their separate worlds. The slice of pavement within the centre of the painting brings a sense of perspective to the piece.

The oil painting depicts a figure, taking centre of the canvas under a warm spotlight. The lighting is concentrated around her eyes, and the centre of her face, evoking feelings of vulnerability, yet also a strong defiance that is prominent in the expression she is making. The background is made up of pure negative space, and cool tones that accentuate the warm colours that sculpt the face and shoulders of the girl, a hue of cerulean creating a halo like effect around her head; just dusting her cheek and contrasting to the pink of the opposite cheek. The blue light also seems to frame her right iris, the eyes becoming a focal point – glossy and almost fearfully gazing off to the right. I took inspiration from old fashioned, spotlit films, where the main character is sent against a dark, curtained backdrop. The choice of being alone on the screen, seemed so vulnerable to me, the harsh lighting making the subject seem exposed, allowing for their expression to be what is studied by the viewer.

I created this piece with the portraits of the renaissance in mind, both aesthetically using oil paint as my medium and symbolically when put into the context of women. Specifically I had a focus on the reduction of the female role as merely a vessel to be married off and have children. This is emulated with the artificial plastic covering her mouth which underlines the silencing of women in modern times to symbolise how in the 21st century there is a belief that we are progressive yet fundamentally a lot of society still clings to these core values of a demure woman, especially in marriage. The model’s family originate from a different country, which amplifies the sacrifice of her visual identity and culture as a result of increased societal pressures to conform to hair and beauty and fashion standards in the UK. Justifying why her eyes are more expressively pained and looking intensely upon the viewer. Subsequently highlighting her defiance and rebellion against the incessant barrage of beauty and societal constraints that suppress the natural has been forced to conform to as a girl.

Once the pinnacle of the Romantic period, the sublime evoked awe, wonder and even terror in the face of nature’s vastness. But in the age of photography, these once-majestic views have become flat, familiar, and endlessly reproducible. This piece reflects on how the digital saturation of imagery, especially of natural spaces, has eroded our ability to be moved by the power of the landscape; turning what was once overwhelming, into something almost ordinary. The sublime hasn’t disappeared; it’s just been scaled down, compressed, and filtered. In this piece, I have utilised my dexterity to carefully embroider a depiction of the Roche Abbey, a ruined Cistercian monastery founded in 1147, located in Maltby, near Rotherham. Acting as an example of this phenomenon, I decided to highlight the impact of digital photography by dispersing my stitches to emulate each pixel seen on a monitor screen. Furthermore, the choice of single parallel (tent) stitches, compared to cross-stitches, also emphasises societies diversion from tradition, as well as the fragile recognition of our landscapes.

This piece uses cool tones to convey peace and tranquility. The medium of oils allows for the soft, smooth quality that gives the work a sense of serenity. I chose oils due to their blending potential allowing me to give the painting a light ethereal quality. I positioned the face close up and centrally, so as to accentuate its importance as the focal point. The theme of this painting was reflection and I chose this composition and the use of water to symbolise both the physical reflection and the concept of reflecting on oneself and emotional state.

A portrait intended to symbolise how emotions can overlap; the emotion of the face can be interpreted entirely differently depending on the observer.

In the tranquil yet vibrant streets of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a town in Bavaria, an experienced violinist performs for free for the people. Through the violinist, clearly passionate in his craft, I wanted to capture the beauty of music and portray it as the perfect vessel to unite and connect people despite whatever differences lie between them. I wanted to particularly emphasise the focused expression of the violinist, who is lost in his music. His eyes, half-lidded and soft, look down at his beloved instrument, as he carefully plays his piece, placing his fingers delicately onto the precise spot on the strings of the violin. It is not a grand performance, nor is he a famous performer, but only a man who decided to share his art with the world. The blurred people at the back are not watching, just continuing with their daily routine, yet they can hear the rich tune from the violin and are silently admiring it. It signifies how music is always present in our lives – listening to a song on the radio, a classical symphony in the orchestra, or maybe the simple unexpected rhythm of rain falling or high heels clicking against the concrete floor. Music and art alone bear the ability to express and invoke complex emotions that are indescribable with just words. The modern lifestyle in the background of the painting blends into the medieval architecture, symbolic of how music can connect people from different times, like how the music of great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven are still hugely influential today, forming the universal unspoken language of humanity.

Soft pastel and oil paint study based on a street scene photograph. She chose to interpret the theme of ‘walking’ as a moment where people introspect and become most in tune with their own thoughts and emotions, detaching from other people around them and entering a state of isolation. She wanted the cooler tones to add to the atmosphere of isolation and calmness.

This piece explores a journey through girlhood to womanhood, particularly looking at the importance of female connection and intimacy through the ritualistic act of brushing hair.

A portrait created around the theme of fragility. Looking into the fragility of human connections.