Two critics, two artists and two collectors make up the judging panel for the ING Discerning Eye annual exhibition, a show of small pieces by artists who have either been personally invited or have publicly submitted their work for consideration. The exhibition creates a unique opportunity for lesser-known artists to see their work hung alongside that of internationally-recognised names, with the only restrictions on the work a limitation in size.

This year’s pieces have been selected by artists Dale Lewis and David Remfry RA, recording artist Beverley Knight MBE, banker Mervyn Metcalf and critics Jo Baring and Tabish Khan. The open submission process was run online and, for the first time in the exhibition’s history, the show has also been entirely virtual. …

As society at large continues to grapple with the changing landscape of restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19, university teaching staff and their students are having to adapt and re-adapt to a fluctuating regime of remote learning, face-to-face interaction and digital solutions. One big consequence for art students graduating this year was the cancellation of almost all physical degree shows. At UAL, which incorporates many of London’s top art colleges, the decision was taken to replace the physical shows with an online Graduate Showcase.

To get some insight into how individual students have been affected, and to learn about the work they made for the Showcase, we spoke to four UAL graduates who have just completed courses at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Art. …

While some of us may be entering a lull as the festive season approaches, TNG member James Earley is keeping busy. As he explains, “I am always looking to the long term as my ambition is to be a relevant and significant artist today and also in hundreds of years from now.” Not surprisingly, given the quality and visual impact of his work, Earley’s dedication has not gone unnoticed — on Saturday 12th December, the self-taught artist is set to receive the Venice International Art Award, a prize awarded to international artists in acknowledgement of their artistic merit.

Earley has been selected for the award by a board of Italian art curators including International Contemporary Art Magazine’s Salvatore Russo, and will receive the prize at the Scuola Grande di San Teodoro in Venice in the presence of collectors, journalists, politicians and art lovers. …

As England’s latest lockdown comes to an end (of sorts), there are plenty of things to see and do in London this December. Let’s make 2020 go out with an artistic bang!

The information included in this article was correct at the time of writing (late November, 2020). Owing to changing regulations relating to COVID-19, readers are advised to check opening dates and arrangements using the links provided before making plans to visit the listed exhibitions.

COVID-19 has affected charitable organisations and their users in numerous, unprecedented ways. Launched on 5th November 2020, Jealous Gallery and Print Studio’s new publication, The Help Portfolio, features new signed, limited edition prints donated by sixteen important UK artists, and seeks to provide financial support to a number of affected charities. These include larger national bodies, as well as local organisations whose vital work in communities is often overlooked and underfunded.

The collective spirit of the artists working together mirrors the conception of The Help Portfolio. The works in the portfolio cover a wide range of mediums, themes and imagery, distinctive to each artist. Each artist involved has been given the opportunity to select a charity, and all profits from the sale of this boxed print collection will be divided by the sixteen selected charities. …

2020’s Covid-19 crisis has seen thousands of individuals put their physical and mental health on the line as key workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. A powerful visual tribute to these people, the #portraitsforNHSheroes project was started by artist earlier this year when he began a movement that was picked up by some of the UK’s most talented portrait artists.

Tom originally offered to paint an NHS key worker’s portrait for free when the UK went into lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus back in March. He suggested that other artists might want to do the same. …

Offering some of the best opportunities and awards available in the North of England, the New Light Art Prize showcase event is quickly becoming one of the largest and most talked about open exhibitions in the UK. This year’s prize exhibition has turned out to be the largest event in the prize’s history, with the challenges presented during 2020 resulting in the online auctioning of all shortlisted works.

The fifth installment of the New Light Biennial Prize Exhibition, 2020 brings with it the celebration of New Light’s 10th anniversary. Sadly, the usual Prize Exhibition Preview Launch event was not able go ahead due to government guidelines relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the prize-winners were instead announced in September on the New Light website and across social media. …