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Platform Graduate Awards 2026
- Anti Burnout Initiative
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
Anti Burnout Initiative, 2026
3/7/2026
Yesterday Evening we attended the Private View and Award Night at Mirror Gallery for the 2026 Platform Graduate Awards.
The show has a brilliant mixture of paintings, film, sculpture and installation. Of course with some interactive elements sprinkled through too. It was a very hot evening but one full of anticipation and joy.
The Platform Graduate Award has evolved since 2012 to provide a £500 bursary and six months of mentoring to a select cohort of awardees. It is a fantastic opportunity for emerging, graduating artists. There are a few Platform Graduate exhibitions taking place across the country. This year, taking place at Aspex, Portsmouth, MIRROR at Arts University Plymouth and Modern Art Oxford, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton.
At the Mirror exhibition, students were in the graduating cohorts of Fine Art and PDP from Arts University Plymouth along with Fine Art graduates from both the University of Plymouth and Falmouth University.
A lot of the works, like Trapnell's paintings explored themes of play and experimentation. Challenging the idea that refined and resolved works are the only option. Large scale works really shone at this year's event.
The sculpture and installation works were a force, demonstrating a technical skill and pushing material uses. Mixed media works showed the artists' ability to comprehend the language of materials and how they communicate together. Each work interacted with the other artists' works well, the curation of the show made sure works from different artists and universities were woven together in ways that made sense for each piece.
Works invited viewers to play, one example being a large installation and sound-piece by Vasilia Panteli. A large metal and wood sculpture which could be used as a drum, asking the audience to engage in order for the work to ring. Without the audience it's voice is silenced. It stood centre stage as Professor Steven Felmingham introduced the Award and the panel announced the winner.
There were fantastic works from all three universities, and everyone who was nominated and exhibited should be proud of the work they produced. Falmouth University BA (Hons) Fine Art graduates Francesca Pease was awarded the prize for their inquisitive use of materials, eloquence when speaking about the work and for the important topic it gave space to.
The work, For the Patient's Safety (see video clip below) voiced experience of a mental disorder and the complicated relationship of play and recovery. The drawings have a likeness to cave drawings, being able to tell a story in only a few lines. Something which is so human.
Congratulations again to Pease and all of the artists involved.
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