The AOI Illustration New Talent Award is jointly awarded
The New Talent award was jointly received by Mitch Miller for A Showman’s Yard in the East End and Jun Cen for Entrance/Exit.
Mitch Miller
A Showman’s Yard in the East End is a postgraduate research project that documents the social complexity and geographical detail of a yard used by a community of travelling showpeople in Glasgow, Scotland. The ‘dialectogram’ is a style of highly detailed illustration created through social engagement, ethnographic and documentary messages to show the complexity of life and cultures within various urban spaces – usually small, marginal or overlooked.
Mark Reddy, judge and Head of Art at Bartle Bogle Hegarty commented on the difficult decision to present the New Talent award to two finalists, ‘I love illustration for its personal vision. It’s hard to say one style is better than the other when they are so different. We need to celebrate diversity.’
Judge and Programme Director of BA Illustration at Swansea Metropolitan University, Derek Bainton noted that, ‘Mitch Miller is showing where illustration is heading.’
Upon receiving his award Mitch Miller said, ‘the other winners have produced some extraordinary work, so just to be counted among them is a real honour. I can go back to Glasgow and tell the Showpeople community that our joint efforts to record and celebrate their culture are valued and appreciated. I’d like to thank the judges, and AOI, for running such a high quality competition.’
Mitch Miller - A Showman's Yard in the East End
Mitch Miller - A Showman's Yard in the East End
Mitch Miller - A Showman's Yard in the East End
Mitch Miller
Jun Cen
Entrance/Exit illustrates a couple’s journey between parallel worlds, raising questions about our perception of reality and the nature of time. Originally a graphic novel, the artist subsequently developed the book into an animation that further explores these concepts.
During the final stage of judging, Deirdre McDermott, picture book publisher at Walker Books, expressed that, ‘the animation has a shimmering and magical quality.’
Upon receiving his award Jun Cen said, ‘I am very honored to be one of the two New Talent Winners of the AOI Awards this year. As an emerging illustrator, I have always been encouraged to experiment with medium and storytelling strategies. I strongly believe what makes illustration so unique is the emotion and intelligence that can be conveyed through colour, texture and composition. Its close relationship with design and animation also triggered me to expand my illustration practice to various multidisciplinary practices’.
Category winning and shortlisted work can be viewed at theaoi.com/awards
Jun Cen - Entrance/Exit
Jun Cen - Entrance/Exit
Jun Cen & spread from Entrance/Exit
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