Ramona Zoladek has won this year’s Dr Supanee Gazeley Fine Art Prize for her work depicting both growth and decay.
The Dr Supanee Gazeley Fine Art Prize is open to all final year BA (Hons) Fine Art students at Anglia Ruskin University and is awarded to the best work on display at the annual Degree Show. As well as a handsome glass trophy, the prize also comes with a cheque for £2,000.
Ramona’s work features pieces of a ruined building, constructed out of plaster in Cambridge, scattered with the green shoots of hundreds of chickpea seedlings.
The Polish artist said: “My practice revolves around the idea of growth and ruin. I am interested in objects and architectural units which interact with nature and have potential history.
“I translate the relationship between objects made by man and by nature, combining matters which would not normally be used together, for example seeds with building materials or by mixing plaster and cement.
“A particular fascination of mine is that dried materials shrink while seeds expand. These contrasting processes can combine to produce an interesting result.
“As a result of the constant dialogue existing between my motherland, Poland, and my current place of living, England, my final installation was completed across both countries. I have researched derelict and ruined buildings and translated them into the neutral gallery space at Anglia Ruskin.”
Chris Owen, Head of Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin, said: “The competition was intense, but Ramona’s work was the unanimous winner. Its combination of mineral and plant forms evokes a wonderful sense of the ruined building in Poland on which it is based. She has also demonstrated a remarkably innovative approach to the use of materials.
“Ramona is a very promising young artist, and I am sure that both she and the other shortlisted artists will go on to successful careers in the international art community.”
Dr Gazeley, an internationally-renowned artist, graduated in 1962 from Cambridge College of Arts & Technology (CCAT), a forerunner institution of Anglia Ruskin. Before focusing on art, Dr Gazeley was a leading figure in the Hong Kong business community for 40 years and was awarded an Honorary Degree by Anglia Ruskin in 2007.
Further examples of the art and design on display at the Degree Show can be seen by visiting www.cambridgeschoolofart.com More of Ramona Zoladek’s work can be seen at her own website www.ramonazoladek.tumblr.com