LONDON.- At the opening of GROUP 2012 on Tuesday 31 July the WW Gallery announced the shortlist of 6 artists for the inaugural SOLO AWARD. The shortlist was selected from a longlist of 37 artists and over 300 submissions, by a panel of distinguished judges including Sheila McGregor (Chief Executive, Axis, the online resource for contemporary art), Helen Sumpter (Art writer and Deputy Visual Art Editor of Time Out London ), Kate Davis (Artist & Tutor in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art) and Deb Covell (Artist & Co-founder Platform-A Gallery, Middlesbrough).

The shortlisted artists are: Emma Cousin,Calum James Crowther, Dexter Dymoke, Jonathan Gabb, Wendy Nelson and Elly Thomas. The overall winner will be announced on the 25th August and will receive prize money of £1000, a flexible three month residency from October to December 2012 and a solo show in January 2013.

An exhibition of 37 artists longlisted for the WW SOLO Award
Tristram Aver | Alison Bickmore | Catrine Bodum | Sara Brannan | Max Cahn | Emma Cousin | Calum James Crowther | Jolanta Dolewska | Alexandra Dudley | Dexter Dymoke | Kate Elliott | Gabriela Fabrowska | Susan Forsyth | Jonathan Gabb | Sarah Gillham | Kirsty Harris | Mark Harris | Sally Hewett | Andrew Litten | Ope Lori | Roman Manfredi | Lee Marshall | Sonia Martin | Rob Miller | Wendy Nelson | Leigh Niland | Margaret Proudfoot | Julie Rafalski | Scott Robertson | Mark Scott-Wood | Yukako Shibata | Elly Thomas | Kazuya Tsuji | Ben Walker | Dominic Watson | Joe Webb | Sarah West | Sarah Kate Wilson

From the 1 to the 25 August WW Gallery will hold GROUP 2012, an exhibition presenting the long-list for the inaugural Solo Award. Unlike other contemporary art awards WW offers a structured opportunity for artists working at all stages of their career. With a focus that stretches further than new graduates, WW believes that artists can be ‘emerging’ at any age.

Additionally, visitors to GROUP 2012 will be encouraged to vote for their favourite work in the show. The winner will be commissioned to produce a limited edition work for display and sale at WW Gallery next year.

WW is one of London’s leading contemporary artist-led spaces with a reputation for consistently forward-thinking and innovative projects, with sites in Clerkenwell and Hackney