Benedict Robinson

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Fine Art student wins prestigious painting prize

Bath Spa University has produced many prize-winning artists, and now it can add one more to the gallery. 

BA (Hons) Fine Art student Benedict Robinson is one of just 12 artists from across the UK – and the first from BSU – to be selected for the 2024 Freelands Painting Prize. 

Benedict was nominated by his Fine Art tutors at the Bath School of Art, Film and Media, and was chosen from a longlist of around 50 artists from across the country. His work will be displayed alongside the other winners at an exhibition in London this autumn. 

Talking about his win, Benedict said: 

“I'm really surprised and happy to be one of the winners of the Freelands Painting Prize. It's also a great opportunity to be part of the October Freelands Painting Prize show in London.” 

Benedict’s painting practice is based on the TV programmes, characters, video games and comic books from his childhood and adolescence. Through his work, he aims to produce a time capsule of the world before, using images to illustrate a throwback to the 2000’s. Talking about his practice, Benedict said: 

"As an autistic artist, my practice is informed by my lifelong passion for collecting, not only physical objects but also my ongoing special interests in news, film, games, books and characters. My current work is about the strange environments and worlds which have now been replaced by hyper realistic graphics and characters. I’ve used the action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto 4 as I like the ‘open world’ where, as a character, you can explore the strange environments which are viewed today as outdated and crude.” 

Benedict also credits his tutors at BSU for helping him develop as an artist: 

“I've found all my tutors on Fine Art really helpful to me as a student and knowledgeable about the subject, as they are all practicing artists themselves. I would particularly like to thank my personal tutor Jenny Dunseath, as well as Rosemary Snell, Natasha Kidd and Anna Lucas.” 

Launched in 2020, the Freelands Painting Prize celebrates outstanding painting work from undergraduates around the UK. Each year, all higher education institutions around the country that offer a BA Fine Art course or similar painting qualification can nominate a final-year student to win the prize. 

Winners are selected anonymously by an independent jury. This year's judging panel included artists Michael Archer, Vanessa Carlos, Séamus McCormack and Zadie Xa.