The Platform Graduate Award is an annual initiative to support emerging artistic talent, with one winning art graduate receiving a £2,000 bursary and 12 months of mentoring support. Participating galleries across the South East have selected artists to be up for contention, and MK Gallery in Milton Keynes has made Bedfordshire graduate, Shannon Ryan, one of their chosen three.

An exhibition featuring Shannon’s work, along with fellow selected artists Him Ming Chan and Jennifer Watts from the Universities of Northampton and Hertfordshire is available to view for free at MK Gallery until Sunday 31^st October.

Shannon, who graduated from the University’s undergraduate Photography and Video Art course this summer, is still based in Bedfordshire and uses portraiture and fashion photography to present parallel worlds. Vibrant colours and textures are displayed in her pop culture inspired photographs, whereas her portraiture explores darker, more hard-hitting themes.

Shannon spoke of what it means to her to have been put forward for the award:

“I will be honest I was completely shocked I was chosen for this. I have always doubted myself as a artist and for Nigel to see so much potential meant the world to me. When creating this my mum was in hospital battling for her life so I was left to look after my siblings and juggling my degree while being a mum to them. So to see that the work I produced during one of my darkest times is being considered for an award meant everything to me.

“To win would help myself validate my work as an artist. I am extremely hard on myself and always think I can improve work. If I was to win I would want to produce more work that reflects something close to my heart or even carry on this series like Cindy Sherman. The other artists have produce amazing work and we are each so different so it’s going to be interesting to see who wins.”

Shannon’s art has stood out for its perceptive and philosophical portrayal of society. Her series ‘The Sleeper’ documents the mental and physical impact Covid-19 had on the youth, brought about by noticing a change in behaviour from her younger brother. Her newest series ‘Doin' It For The Gram’ explores today’s fascination of social media personalities, mimicking the millions of images that are shared on these platforms every day, questioning why this behaviour is becoming normalised and idolised.

Nigel Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts at Bedfordshire, believes it is these perceptions presented by Shannon’s work that makes it stand out from other pieces:

“We are delighted to have Shannon represent our School in the Platform Graduate Award through MK Gallery. This is an important event, bringing together art graduates from several local universities.

“The contemporary and insightful nature of Shannon’s ‘Doin' It For The Gram’ project makes it relatable to a wide audience; the attractive, sharable colours disguise the darker issues being addressed in the work. The character of BLUSH lacks morals in the building of her audience and recalls stories of social media influencers using their accounts to sell low quality generic products and unscrupulous politicians armed with fake news accounts.

“All of us at the University are wishing Shannon the best of luck for the next round of judging.”

Judging for which of the three artists are put through to the next round takes place on Sunday 31^st October, with the overall winner announced in December.

The Platform Graduate Award is an initiative led by Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN) South East. For more information, visit their website.

The Platform Graduate Award Exhibition 2021 is open to the public from 10am-5pm until Sunday 31^st October.