Aberystwyth Art Student Wins £10,000 Award

Lauren Sarreas Webb

An art student from Aberystwyth University has won a £10,000 award to create a work of public art in Wales.

Laruen Sarreas Webb was awarded the prize by Safle – an independent consultancy based in Cardiff and one of the largest public art organisations in the UK.

For this year’s Safle Graduate Award, nine art colleges in Wales were asked to nominate three visual art students each who were in their final year of a BA degree.

Six candidates were shortlisted and interviewed before the panel made their decision to award the prize to Lauren Sarreas Webb, a third-year student at Aberystwyth University’s School of Art.

“Lauren’s practice is concerned with concepts of identity and ideas of self. The panel were excited by her contemporary take on public realm interventions and the possibilities for her work to develop further in this direction,” said Safle Award Manager, Cinzia Mutigli.

“Lauren demonstrated that she clearly has enthusiasm, proactivity and energy for her practice as well as a range of technical skills, which are all useful attributes when undertaking an artistic project.”

Lauren will start work this summer on researching, developing and implementing a temporary site-specific artwork in the public realm in Wales with guidance and support from Safle.

“I still can’t believe that I’ve won but I’m greatly bolstered by this achievement. My art is based on creating exaggerated images of my self and could be staged anywhere” said Lauren who’s 21 years old and originally from Yorkshire.

“Aber Uni gives a good grounding in drawing, painting, photography and printing, with the opportunity for a fusion of all of these, innovative thinking about implementing your ideas comes into force, because art is everywhere - not just on walls. Tutors here encourage you to think bigger, outside the realms of perceived possibility and constraints of education.”

A lecturer at Aberystwyth’s School of Art, Miranda Whall has taught Lauren for the past three years.

“I am absolutely thrilled for Lauren. This will be a fantastic opportunity for her to make the difficult transition from Art School to professional artist,”

“It will enable her to continue to develop the individual, idiosyncratic and brave practice that she has been developing over the last year or so. I am very proud of Lauren and can't think of a more deserving student to be given this gift." 

This is the second year that Safle has run its Graduate Award competition. Alistair Owen, a student at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, was the winner in 2009.

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