Projects 2023

Since we first met Korean contemporary artist  Doowon LEE back in 2018, he has been globetrotting and taking the international art-world by storm with his naive and sometimes whimsical signature style. For his first solo show at StART Doowon has spent most of the past 12 months working in Pakistan, expect an explosion of new works including handmade wool carpets and a vespa!

Korean contemporary artist Doowon LEE approaches each of his new artworks freely, he does not use a pencil and eraser and does not draw rough sketches.

He senses and gathers energy from materials as abundant as stars, and this energy activates his own theatre of drawing. Images swirl through in his mind as if watching and experiencing a movie, he expresses the images with his own intuition, using both traditional and more unusual materials such as wool, cashmere, hemp, nettle, carpet, linen and found objects.

Doowon has exhibited internationally and has enjoyed sell-out shows in South Korea and America, StART will be the artist’s first major exhibition in the United Kingdom.

In 2023, New Blood Art launched its Emerging Art Prize and partnered with StART to present and co-curate an exhibition of shortlisted artists. The prize marks an exciting new evolution in curatorial technique which invites greater input from tutors, heads of department, colleges and the commercial art fair. Deferring to the wisdom of those who know artists and their work the best, New Blood Art invites three nominations from each institution. A wealth of expertise goes into creating the list of nominees, as New Blood Art celebrates the pivotal role of institutions and individual tutors in fostering exciting new talent. Artists often stay with the gallery as their career progresses, and you can find artists at a mid-career stage on the Art Masters section of the New Blood Art website.

New Blood Art is a space for emerging artists, just out of university, a launchpad for brilliant artists in their fledgling and early career stages. The gallery has been meeting with these artists and collectors since 2004.

Founder Sarah trained in art and art education, and New Blood Art curates like a physical gallery in an innovative online model to represent emerging artists. Things began, simply, with conversations: with artists, art tutors and a web developer. Since then Sarah has visited degree shows up and down the country every year, and New Blood Art’s inclusive focus on art schools and institutions across the UK has allowed for a unique representation of talent and promise.

Meeting with artists and tutors as they are presenting their final year shows, New Blood Art has kept to its core values, remaining focused on the qualities of the work the artists are making and the promise they hold as their practice develops.