If you are successful and receive the £10,000 bursary, please tell us what you would use the funding for. Explain how this award will help move your artistic practice forward and what you hope to achieve. (350 words)
I intend to utilise the awarded bursary to complete an entirely new experimental art project. The funds will be allocated towards renting professional equipments (DSLR, video camera, lens etc.), purchasing materials for the artwork (photographic paper, printing paper, HDDs for project data), conducting on-site field research, and covering associated production costs, such as labour and travel expenses.
This bursary is of vital importance to my collaborative, interdisciplinary art research project in Darlington, which will be developed in partnership with local residents. The art project focuses on collective memory and alternative narratives within the local communities.
I come from a uniquely disadvantaged background, having grown up in a family deeply affected by social injustice and extreme poverty. For over two decades, I have been entirely self-taught, sustained solely by an unwavering passion for art and creative expression. In 2023, I was fortunate to be admitted to the Royal College of Art, which provided me with the opportunity to develop and showcase my artistic talents on the international stage.
Since graduating from art college in 2024, I have been at the very early stage of my professional career, facing a severe lack of resources and external financial support. I am in urgent need of funding and materials to conduct research and continue creating my next body of work. This bursary is therefore essential to the future development of my artistic practice.
The Dover Prize Fund has its roots in Darlington. Please explain how you believe your work might enhance and raise the profile of the creative arts in the area. (200 words)
I intend to utilise this fund to undertake a comprehensive multidisciplinary art research project centred on Darlington. The railway is a key symbol of the town, which, as the birthplace of the world public railway, has historically connected countless communities, factories, and individuals. Many local families have been closely tied to the railway industry for generations.
With this funding, I hope to carry out an in-depth local study, conducting first-hand interviews with members of railway-related communities and industrial workers. I plan to document these encounters through videos, photographs, and audio recordings, while also drawing upon historical documents and archival materials from the local museums. This project will culminate in a large-scale multimedia installation, comprising multiple video works, a series of photographic images, and a publication available in both print and digital formats.
Rooted in the symbolism of the railway, this work aims to forge meaningful connections between the town’s diverse communities. Through fostering public participation and collaboration, the project seeks to construct an alternative, community-based narrative, while simultaneously enriching the local cultural and artistic landscape. The final work will be presented in a solo exhibition in Darlington, serving as a tribute to the town’s bicentennial celebrations (S&DR200 Festival).
Eligibility
Please tell us about your practice. Please include any recent exhibitions if applicable. (350 words)
My creative process typically involves highly personalised concepts and extensive background research. Before embarking on a project, I dedicate a significant amount of time to conducting in-depth study and investigation. I endeavour to uncover every possible clue and piece of relevant knowledge. Drawing from the original language of source materials, I synthesise this information and inspiration into an archetype that forms the foundation of my work, from which the project then evolves further. At times, in order to express myself more effectively, I devise unique concepts and employ an adaptive visual language to represent and reinterpret them. With a profound understanding of both Eastern and Western cultures and artistic traditions, I frequently seek to highlight contrasting modes of thought and aesthetic sensibilities. My work aims to serve as a bridge, exploring commonalities and intersections between these two civilisations amidst their differences. My art is both interdisciplinary and multimedia in nature. I am skilled in working across a diverse range of media—including mixed-media painting, installation, photography, video, text, poetry, and publications. These elements are employed collectively to explore a cohesive and intricate theme from multiple, interwoven perspectives, with each component corroborating and complementing the others to construct a multi-dimensional and multi-layered narrative. Due to difficult personal experiences in childhood, my artistic practice often focuses on the stories of vulnerable groups who have been deliberately and systematically marginalised and subjected to social injustice. Through first-hand interviews and the documentation of lived experiences via videos and photographs, I endeavour to build alternative narratives that exist beyond official and mainstream discourse. For instance, my recent project, “Lost In Tides,” addresses the phenomenon of student suicides caused by systemic human right violation in my homeland. Through recorded interviews with various stakeholders connected to the tragedy, the work exposes multiple dimensions and viewpoints of the issue. It seeks not only to reveal painful truth and multi-faceted reality, but also to challenge the constraints of severe censorship. This project was exhibited both in my MA degree show “RCA2024” and during a solo exhibition, “Perdido Nas Marés,” held as part of my residency programme in Lisbon, Portugal. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS: 2024 Solo, “Devonian,” Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gimpo, South Korea
2024 Solo, “Perdido Nas Marés (Lost In Tides),” Associação Cultural Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
https://zaratan.pt/en/event/703 2024 Group, “Out of Thin Air,” Southwark Park Galleries, London, United Kingdom
2024 Group, “RCA2024,” Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom
https://www.rca.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/rca2024/ 2024 Group, “HAMMER TIME 2024,” Associação Cultural Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
https://zaratan.pt/en/exhibit/123
Do you have a degree in visual or applied arts at undergraduate and/or post-graduate level? Please provide details. (200 words)
EDUCATION:
2023-2024 Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom, Master of Arts, Print
Have you previously received professional grants or awards? Please give details. (200 words)
N/A
Are you involved in organising self-created professional opportunities, for example, running an artist-led studio or project? (200 words)
ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS:
2018 Workshop Lead, Manipulation of Digital Images in the Perspective of Contemporary Chinese Feminism, Shanghai, China
2017 Workshop Assistant/Interpreter/Translator, Tim Eitel’s Painting Workshop, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
ARTIST TALKS:
2024 “Neo-Devonian: Archæology for the Future Generation,” 2024 CICA New Media Art Conference, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gimpo, South Korea https://cicamuseum.com/cica-new-media-art-conference-2024/
2024 “Lost In Tides: Cultural Survey on a Multi-layered Reality,” Associação Cultural Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea, Lisbon, Portugal
Have you been previously commissioned as an artist by a public institution? (200 words)
N/A
Has your artwork been purchased by a public collection? Please provide details. (200 words)
N/A
Has your artwork been reviewed or featured in an art journal, magazine, newspaper or online curated platform? Please provide details. (200 words max)
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
2025 “Turbulence: New Media Art 2025,” CICA Press, Gimpo, South Korea https://www.cicamuseum.com/cicapress/turbulence-new-media-art-2025/
2024 ARK Talks Magazine: Reise der Magiestadt (Journey of the Magic City), Issue 01, April 2024, London, United Kingdom https://issuu.com/arktalks_magazine/docs/arktalks_magazine_issue_april_2024
2018 Monograph (Co-authored), “Pyramid of Bloodline, Oral History Study and Deconstruction for Ancient Folk Houses in Lishui, Zhejiang Province,” China Academy of Art Press, China
Are you represented by a gallery? Please provide details. (200 words)
N/A
Have you taken part in a recognised residency or artist placement scheme? (200 words)
RESIDENCY:
2024 ZARATAN AIR, Associação Cultural Zaratan – Arte Contemporânea Lisbon, Portugal (3 months, artist in residence)
