Free Range 2017

About

Now in its 17th annual season, Free Range is the largest undergraduate degree show open to the public that showcases the extensive and diverse cross-section of work from the UK’s emerging artists and creatives from leading art colleges and universities.

In the eclectic space on Shoreditch’s Brick Lane, over 3000 exhibitors from over 50 universities and over 100 courses will showcase their works to industry experts in search of rising talent, in addition to the general public. The annual season attracts creatives from top academic and creative institutions, from Edinburgh to Bournemouth, and aims to provide a platform for artists beyond their education.

Former Free Range participants include Lily Bertrand-Webb, the photographer named by i-D as ‘set to define 2017’, and fashion and portrait photographer Sophie Mayanne whose clients include Dazed, L’Officiel Spain, Sony Music and The Sunday Times Magazine since exhibiting at Free Range in 2015.

2017’s exhibitors will be divided into four categories: fine art, photography, design (including graphic design and fashion design), and interior design & architecture.

Each category of Free Range 2017 will culminate with the FR Awards 2017, where a relevant panel of industry experts and professionals will judge participants to award the ‘Best in Show’. The awards, introduced for the first time in 2016, provide winners with funding towards their own solo exhibition and personal mentorship in the lead up towards their own exhibitions.

The winners of the FR Awards 2016 exhibited their first solo shows to the public in February 2017 at The Old Truman Brewery. Photographers Eva Abeling and Katharina Halser and fine artist Dylan Fox exhibited new works in three separate and simultaneous shows, with themes ranging from gender dysphoria to the experience of undertaking 71 operations.