Lincoln Graduate Wins Prestigious Freelands Painting Prize

Parker White, a recent graduate of the University of Lincoln’s BA Fine Art programme, has been awarded the highly esteemed Freelands Painting Prize 2024.

Parker is among only 12 artists nationwide to be selected for this prestigious accolade, chosen anonymously by an independent jury comprising renowned artists, writers, and critics.

The Freelands Painting Prize, organised by the Freelands Foundation, is an annual celebration of exceptional painting talent from art schools and universities across the UK. Launched in 2020, the award seeks to spotlight outstanding studio practices emerging from higher education institutions, helping to shape the Foundation’s understanding of how curriculums and conditions influence early career artists.

This year’s award received a record 53 submissions, reflecting the vitality and creativity thriving in the painting practices nurtured at universities despite ongoing challenges in art education across the country. Each participating institution was invited to nominate a final-year student to submit three representative works of their artistic practice.

Parker is the first University of Lincoln student to win the Freelands Painting Prize. Parker’s selection is a testament to the University’s commitment to fostering innovative and boundary-pushing contemporary art.

Commenting on the award, Parker said: “I’m really grateful for this and I look forward to what it can grant me going forward with my art career. It feels like a great validation towards my practice and a massive motivator to keep doing what I love.”

Andrew Bracey, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Lincoln, expressed his pride in Parker’s achievement: “I am thrilled Parker has been selected for the Freelands Painting Prize, marking a historic moment for the University of Lincoln. Their paintings address contemporary concerns by reimagining historical artworks through a queer or hypersexual male gaze, reclaiming trans bodies, and challenging cis-heteronormative standards. Parker manipulates physical forms and uses vibrant colour palettes to create distinctive and exciting paintings that blend personal and political themes.”

As part of the prize, Parker’s work is now being showcased at the Freelands Foundation’s gallery space in London. The 2024 exhibition opened on October 1 with an artist walkthrough, where attendees had the opportunity to hear directly from the winners about their exhibited pieces and the impact of their art school experiences on their practice. The exhibition is open to the public until November 9.

For more information about the Freelands Painting Prize and the 2024 exhibition, please visit the Freelands Foundation website.