Egyptian-born sculptor Sam Shendi has been awarded the £10,000 FIRST@108 Public Art Award to create Evolution, a large-scale steel work which uses brightly coloured abstract forms to depict seven stages of the human condition.
The piece will be first exhibited at the Royal British Society of Sculptors, London in October 2013 alongside a solo exhibition of Shendi’s work. Over the next six months the artist will receive support from the Society, including mentoring from an RBS member and other public art professionals, as he realises his proposal full-scale.
Now in its fourth year, the FIRST@108 Public Art Award provides the opportunity for a sculptor to extend their practice into competing for public art commissions. Other sculptors on the 2013 shortlist were: Karen Henderson, James Irwin, Kerry Jameson and Adam Kalinowski.
Shendi commented: “It feels like a door has opened which will allow me to present myself to the public and exhibit and work amongst other professional sculptors. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.”
The FIRST@108 Public Art Award 2013 Finalist Exhibition at the Royal British Society of Sculptors runs until 29 April 2013. firstat108.rbs.org.uk
More on a-n.co.uk:
Site specific art – Susanna Heron talks through her experiences of being commissioned on public art projects, in a short film by Artquest’s Artlaw TV
Tag search public_art
