Quay Arts is delighted to announce the 2021 OPEN prize winner is Ventnor artist Paul Woods.
The selection panel were unanimous in selecting Paul based upon his OPEN entries and wider body of thought provoking and idiosyncratic work. We look forward to supporting Paul with a 2022 Quay Arts West gallery solo show.
An additional prize of a 2020 West group exhibition was awarded to the following OPEN exhibitors: Fran Farrar, David Hamilton, Lisa Heath, Charles Inge, Shaun Martin and Jill Wilkinson. The group show will expand upon their FREEDOM OPEN works.
The prize giving event was attended by FREEDOM OPEN exhibitors and Quay Arts Trustees and staff with live piano accompaniment from musician Tom Nuckley.
With the title and theme ‘Freedom’, artworks in the OPEN exhibition explored ideas centred around freedoms or lack of. The exhibition featured sculpture, painting, print, textiles, photography and drawing.
The prize for the overall winner Paul Woods is a solo exhibition at Quay Arts in the West Gallery in 2023.
“I’m very pleased to be awarded a solo show at the Island’s most prestigious gallery space. I look forward to working with the Quay Arts crew towards an exhibition designed to amuse, amaze and/or challenge visitors. David Bowie said “Go a little bit out of your depth. When you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” Paul Woods
Paul has a unique shop in Ventnor – ‘Paradox Island’, described as “Ventnor’s Quirkiest shop” it features original recycling art by Paul who is an award-winning model-maker including sculptures, figurines, pictures and “things not so easy to describe”!
Image: ‘Captain Haddock and the People Smugglers’, Paradox Paul 2021’
