Shortlist announced for the 10th-anniversary edition of the Young Masters Art Prize

The international art prize, initiated by The Cynthia Corbett Gallery in 2009, celebrates contemporary artists whose work responds to art from the past.

Twenty contemporary artists from all of the world are in the running for this year's Prize, with an exhibition of their work at La Galleria in the Royal Opera Arcade in central London from 30 September.

They include June August, whose Warhol-esque screen prints take inspiration from the Japanese high art of the Edo period and the art of manga and animé; Ruth Chambers, whose painstakingly formed envelope drawings are influenced by Modernism, while nostalgically celebrating the slowness of paper communication; Amanda McCavour who ‘draws in thread’ to create immersive textile installations using floral motifs based on historical botanical embroidery and drawings; and Keith Maddy, whose collages reinterpret and repurpose vintage children’s books and ephemera into contemporary works of art.

Fifteen artists have also been shortlisted for the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize, a strand of the Young Masters Art Prize that was launched in 2014 to give a separate platform for ceramics. They include Connor Coulston, whose figurines inspired by his Nan’s kitsch ornaments tackle issues ranging from child poverty to class and identity; and Nuala O’Donovan, who creates delicate porcelain pieces based on the geometry of natural forms.

The winners of both strands of the Young Masters Art Prize will be announced on 1 October at a prize ceremony during the shortlist exhibition. To mark the 10th anniversary of the prize, for the first time members of the public will also be invited to have their say in the £500 Young Masters People’s Choice Award.

The Young Masters Art Prize exhibition will be at La Galleria, Royal Opera Arcade, London from 30 September to 5 October 2019. Find out more: www.young-masters.co.uk.