In conversation with a prize-winning artist

This year’s Wolfson College and Royal Academy Schools Graduate Prize winner, Enej Gala, will be in conversation on Tuesday 20 February with sculptor Brian Griffiths RA.

The pair, in an attempt to make life even more bearable, will discuss Enej’s expansive practice through the works on display in the Combination Room - from art as storytelling, to making as thinking, and the absurdity of playing the artist.

The exhibition takes its name from the presented series of oil paintings ‘After News, Before Bed’ .The title originates from a time slot which was designed for short cartoons or other children’s programmes in some European countries.

It also includes Enej's “Repaired Objects”. These sculptures consider the functionality of everyday items, taking the repairs beyond itself, as a dubious fictional process that never returns the pristine objects.  

He was shortlisted for this year’s Wolfson College and Royal Academy Schools Prize after a selection committee viewed his large-scale sculptural installation at the 2023 Postgraduate Diploma Fine Art Exhibition. His winning proposal was highlighted for ‘’its consideration of the nature of knowledge’’ and being ‘’intellectually provocative’’. 

Enej, who grew up in Slovenia, explained:

‘’Each painting is a story for itself, a still of an invented cartoon inspired by real news to form a sci-fi scenario. The two coexist without simply entering into satire but stretching it as a possible questioning of the underlying narrative structure. I guess it is an indirect way of dealing with bad news and the overwhelming nostalgia for a utopic escapism.

“After News, Before Bed implies a little fun after some serious business, before everything resolves by going to sleep. This time slot becomes a trigger that brings the extremes together in an odd, almost forced cathartic moment. It is here that I start to question the seriousness of facts and the absurdness of knowledge, as if they could be well digested only through an utterly cartoonish peristalsis.

"To quote Kurt Vonnegut, "The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable".  

‘’This prize is important as it gives the opportunity to show works in an unconventional space to a new audience. It is rare to be exhibited in a College context, therefore to address this environment through the works seems quite a unique opportunity. Prizes and grants, in a way, help support artists to produce work that is not directly influenced by particular art ecologies.‘’

The Wolfson College & Royal Academy Schools Graduate Prize enables engagement with young graduates of the Royal Academy Schools, students who have just completed the three-year postgraduate course. The selection committee is made up of representatives of both organisations.

The conversation session will start at 6pm, followed by a drinks reception until 7pm. Bookings for the event can be made here until Monday 19 February. 

The exhibition will open at weekends, between 10am and 5pm until April 21 at Wolfson College, Barton Road, Cambridge CB3 9BB. Please contact the Porters' Lodge to arrange your visit on 01223 335900.