Can you let us in? University of Leeds degree show exhibition, June 2023

Images of my sculptural and video work in our recent degree show exhibition - Can you let us in? - Showcasing the work of 49 final year BA Fine Art students at the University of Leeds, our independently curated show encompasses painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, sound and moving image installations. A play on words inspired by a regular message sent into our studio group chat whenever someone had forgotten their access card, Can you let us in? is our call out to the broader art world to help us to bridge the gap to professional practise. Our collective experience of a turbulent time – both inside and outside the university – has amplified questions about the role of artists in society. When other crises appear to be increasingly urgent, it becomes more pertinent that we make a clear stand for arts and culture to be recognised for their importance. As artists, many of us have responded to this uncertainty through the exploration of themes such as domesticity, social sustainability, migration, identity, femininity and techno-capitalism. Whether it has made us celebrate the mundane of everyday life or explore our complicated relationship with nature, we have found comfort and purpose in art making. Searching for connection in a world of change, you are invited to come and see our work, through which we aim to make a little sense of the rapid changes around us. We would like our BA Fine Art Degree Show – Can you let us in? – to signal a beginning rather than an ending; a bold step forward into the unknown.