fig-2 is delighted to announce Manuel Mathieu as the winner of the fig-2 Student Open Call. Mathieu is currently a second year Master of Fine Arts student at Goldsmiths, University of London and will produce a new series of paintings for the penultimate exhibition of fig-2.
This is the first Open Call initiated by fig-2 and received over 235 applications from over 25 different Universities and Colleges in the UK, from diverse fields including art, fashion, mathematics and sciences. Seventy percent of the applications are from London based universities, with sixty percent of the applications by female students, and seventeen percent of the proposals were collaborative projects. The selection committee composed of fig-2 curator Fatos Üstek, fig-1 curator and founder Mark Francis, ICA Head of Programmes Katharine Stout, artist and fig-1 participant Jeremy Deller, concentrated on the eligible applications that respond to fig-2 location at ICA studio and the programme to date.
Katharine Stout said about the jury’s decision “whilst the range of submitted proposals was very strong and interesting, Manuel Mathieu’s work stood out as highly original. I am delighted that he will be given an opportunity to share his distinct and meaningful paintings with a wider audience through his exhibition.” Mathieu was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and lives and works in London. Mathieu has shown his work at The Museum of the Americas, Washington D.C., The Museum of Civilization, Quebec, Canada, and The Grand Palais, Paris, France. Mark Francis responded to confirmation of Mathieu’s first solo exhibition in London saying “Here is an exciting new artist and we hope a show at fig-2 will be a good opportunity to bring his work to the public in London.”