Meet the recipients of the RCA and Wandsworth Arts Fringe Creative Bursaries

Continuing their partnership to nurture local talent, the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Wandsworth Arts Fringe (WAF) are delighted to announce the recipients of four creative bursaries which will support local artists in the early stages of their career.

The four winning artists work across different mediums – from painting and illustration to animation and games design – and draw upon their experiences, identities and locality to inform their work. They’ll now receive tailored mentoring and support from RCA staff and students, as well as financial support to take part in WAF 2022 and the opportunity to showcase their work in a group exhibition at Outlined Gallery in Nine Elms, set to take place from 10 to 26 June 2022.

After the exhibition, Outlined Gallery will feature each bursary recipient’s work on their website for 12 months with options to create prints for the public to buy – providing a financial revenue stream for each artist at the beginning of their career.

The winners were selected by a panel made up of Ken Neil, Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities, RCA; Anna Vickery, Interim Arts Programme and Partnership Manager, Wandsworth Council; and Greig Scott, Joint Managing Director, The Logical Choice Group (TLC) and Curator, Outlined Gallery – who all praised the quality of the entrants.

Get to know the creative bursary recipients below:

Sena Appeah is a young visual artist based at the Barbican Centre. As an emerging artist, she has exhibited her contemporary fine artworks in various London galleries. The unique and surreal worlds Sena creates, characteristic of her style, stem from her self-taught practice as an oil painter. She is inspired by identity, imaginative freedom and philosophy.

Theo Chaudoir is a self-taught artist based in Tooting, whose work aims to explore how we engage with community life and various experiences in both a purposeful and psychological way. Discussing his practice, Theo commented ‘I’m excited to continue this journey of experimenting with new mediums through drawing and digital tools. Living in a city flowing with inspiration, I am motivated by its people and energy.’

Louis Morel works across drawing, sculpture, creative writing and games design, ‘exploring the line between cute, creepy and weird.’ Louis is an autistic artist who suffers with a chronic pain condition and severe sensory processing issues. This means he is extremely sensitive to sounds and smells in particular, making it very difficult for him to leave the house. Making art has been a way for him to process trauma and find meaningful ways of interacting with the world.

Merlin Summers was born in London and lives in Tooting with his family and dog, Arnie. Merlin is autistic with learning difficulties and is studying BA Animation at University West of England in his Foundation year, where his work is driven by his imagination and how everyday situations can become absurd and surreal. As well as animation, he enjoys scuba diving, hill walking, travel and learning to read and speak Japanese.