Nika Neelova, Partings (2012), concrete casts from a Somerset House door, burnt timber, rope, 4m x 3m approx

Nika Neelova wins Sculpture Shock award

Phaidon's one to watch at Crisis Commission show wins Royal British Society of Sculptors award

This weekend saw the announcement of the inaugural Sculpture Shock award. Instigated by the Royal British Society of Sculptors, the competition was open to artists working in three dimensions, with the winners receiving a £3000 grant and a three month residency in the former Chelsea studio of Dame Elisabeth Frink. At the end of this period, the work will be installed in a chosen location (either subterranean, ambulatory or historic) for a minimum four-day pop-up exhibition.

 

Nika Neelova
Nika Neelova

The winner in the Historic category was Nika Neelova, a 25-year-old Russian artist, now based in London who we interviewed on phaidon.com earlier this year. Producing large-scale installations from damaged materials, the remains of buildings and structural components, her work combines a stark beauty with a sense of the materials’ narrative and history. Her work appeared alongside that of Gillian Wearing, Antony Gormley and Tracey Emin as part of the Crisis Commission at Somerset House. You can read our interview with her by clicking the related story link, above left. Congrats Nika.