Iranian artist Azita Moradkhani has been announced as the winner of the Young Masters Art Prize and inaugural Young Masters Emerging Woman Art Prize, both generously supported by Dr Chris Blatchley. She was presented with her combined £3,000 prize at an award ceremony sponsored by Brownhill Insurance held this evening, Wednesday 21 June 2017, at Gallery 8 in London’s St James’s.
Moradkhani was chosen from a shortlist of 18 international artists for her delicately crafted drawings. The female body is central to her work and she uses beauty as her weapon to address complex socio-political issues. Her use of traditional techniques, skill and delicacy connect her work aesthetically to the art of the past.
Chair of the judges, art historian Godfrey Barker, comments: ‘The Young Masters Art Prize is a snapshot of contemporary art now. It had a huge number of entries from 55 countries, a vast majority of those from young or emerging artists. Two things we have never seen before: the prize has been overwhelmed by women (two thirds of the entries) and all nine of the awards have been given to women. Clearly this prize is now at the cutting edge, with an international emphasis that includes North America, Africa, the Middle East and the Islamic world.’