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The JUST Art Award
Announcing the 2023 winner and shortlist
The JUST Art Award, a new prize aimed at addressing inequality in the art world, is proud to announce the first recipient of its fund, visionary textile artist, Samina Islam.
"Religion can be a powerful force for good for many of us, but religious doctrine can also be used to oppress others. Samina Islam's works offers a powerful look at how religion is used by men to oppress women, using thread and textiles - creative materials often associated with women to bring this important issue to light through her art" said Tabish Khan, judge, and The London Art Critic.
Samina Islam (2023 winner)
Samina Islam is a textile artist who draws inspiration from diverse cultures to examine the perception of female roles and social responsibilities. Her practice examines these perceptions and how they perpetuate the oppression of women. Having previously worked as a legal executive in Germany, Samina followed her passion for art to contribute to society through visual language. The enquiry into historic textile craft also creates a polysemic statement about women’s social roles. Observing that whilst women are the backbone of society, binding and holding it together, they are often wrongly characterised fragile and dependant, prone to unravelling.
Fanny Beckman (shortlisted)
Fanny Beckman is a London-based photographer who uses her art to raise awareness of social injustice. She discovered her passion for photography at the age of four and went on to study Fine Art Photography at Gamleby School of Photography in Sweden, where she realized she could merge her art with feminism. Since 2016, Fanny has worked as a freelance photographer, public speaker, and writer. Her collaborations with feminist organizations have led to numerous exhibitions that bring attention to issues such as domestic abuse and mental health. Notable venues where she has exhibited include the Swedish Parliament, Gallery Foto Nostrum in Barcelona, and Open Eye Gallery.
Richard William Barnett (shortlisted)
Richard, is a figurative painter living in Thousand Oaks, Ca. He has spent most of his life focusing on figurative painting. As the world took a darker tone in 2016 he has found much of his work taking on a strong social justice theme.
Fromont (shortlisted)
Fromont, a Montreal native, is the owner of a small business that produces handmade clothing using second-hand materials. During the quarantine period, Fromont began to create art, starting with an enormous dress that represented the 1/4th of textile waste each Canadian produces annually. Fromont then transitioned to creating smaller-scale textile art that explores various subjects, such as the beauty of sharing and intimate relationships.
Chrystelle McClean (shortlisted)
Chrystelle Mclean creates paintings that explore the ways in which society constructs controlling narratives around stereotypes of culture, class, and ethnicity. Her semi-autobiographical work is based on personal experiences, as well as those of her family and friends. Through her art, she aims to shed light on social issues and tell stories that challenge the status quo.
Vardit Goldner (shortlisted)
Vardit Goldner is a photography and video artist. She has engaged in documenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, mainly its effects on daily life of Palestinians, and addresses social, environmental and animal issues. She studied at the Faculty of Arts – Hamidrasha at Beit Berl College, Israel, completing the Postgraduate Fine Arts Program, and she holds an M.Sc. in physics.
Beihua Guo (shortlisted)
Beihua Guo is a Chinese artist based in Los Angeles and Shanghai. He received a BA in studio art and environmental analysis from Pitzer College, California. His work explores the fragile relationship between humans and nature, as well as the disappearing boundary between natural and built environments.
Batoul Ballout (shortlisted)
Batoul Ballout is a Lebanese artist based in the United States since 2014. Her work explores themes of belonging, trauma, identity, and resistance through painting, drawing, and installation. Ballout challenges where personal experience meets global politics and aims to connect with herself and others through her art to create a more compassionate reality.
Gokcen Ataman (shortlisted)
Gokcen Ataman earned a BA in sculpture from Hacettepe University in Ankara, after studying American culture and literature in high school. She later pursued design studies at Humber College in Toronto. As a native of Ankara, Ataman’s art is inspired by her hometown and explores urbanization, land use, and architecture through creating city and landscape art using mainly cardboard found materials. Since 2014, she have worked as a freelance designer and contemporary artist, having presented two solo shows and participated in many group shows nationally and internationally. She is a recipient of the Sustainable Art Prize and are interested in nature, animals, and children. Her work raises awareness of political and ecological consumption, urbanization, and encourages reflection on nature, history, and architectural heritage.
Babs Smith (shortlisted)
Babs Smith is an artist who works with both physical and virtual materials, exploring the intersection between online and offline processes. They utilize AI, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality to extract abstract sculptural forms from 2D and 3D representations. Smith's work is concerned with movement, light, energy, sound, and time, and is situated within the landscape of the Anthropocene. They respond to the medium through traditional methods such as painting, print, and sculpture, using a "what if" process to deepen their understanding. Smith collaborates with researchers at Para Lab Manchester to produce work that is science-based evidence of climate change. Their work can be appreciated both with and without the use of digital applications.
Samina Islam (winner)
Samina Islam is a textile artist who draws inspiration from diverse cultures to examine the perception of female roles and social responsibilities. Her practice examines these perceptions and how they perpetuate the oppression of women. Having previously worked as a legal executive in Germany, Samina followed her passion for art to contribute to society through visual language. The enquiry into historic textile craft also creates a polysemic statement about women’s social roles. Observing that whilst women are the backbone of society, binding and holding it together, they are often wrongly characterised fragile and dependant, prone to unravelling.
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