Ceramic sculpture The Hug is the winning entry of the Leamington Open 2024 Exhibition

Leamington Open 2024 Exhibition winner Laura Adkins with Warwick District Council chair Cllr Sidney Syson. Laura's winning work The Hug is pictured to the left of her.

Ceramic sculpture The Hug has been announced as the winning entry of the Leamington Open 2024 Exhibition.

Sculptor Laura Adkins was presented with her £1,000 prize by Warwick District Council chair Cllr Sidney Syson at Leamington Art Gallery and Museum recently.

The Hug was selected from more than 400 pieces at the exhibition, which is currently taking place at the gallery and opened on February 2.

Laura said, “I saw a photograph online of Ukrainian men hugging at a funeral for one of their comrades during the Russia-Ukraine war.

"The two men held each other tightly in shared grief.

"It was moving and a great example of the power of a hug”.

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The gallery received a record amount of submissions from artists who uploaded their artworks online.

The pieces were reviewed and narrowed down to those who were invited to bring their work to the gallery to be examined by the independent panel of judges Kialy Tihngang - multidisciplinary Glasgow-based visual artist who received a number of awards for her work in 2023, including the France Brodeur Young Artist Award.

Michael A. Michael - Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the University of Glasgow and Rebecca Earle - writer and Professor of History at the University of Warwick.

The independent judging panel awarded some ‘Highly Commended’ pieces and these along with all of the chosen entries are now on display in the temporary gallery at the Leamington Art Gallery & Museum.

Visitors to the gallery can also vote for their favourite artwork, which will receive the coveted People’s Choice Award of £500 and will be announced towards the end of the exhibition which closes on Sunday May 12.

Last seen in 2022, the Open Exhibition has been a regular popular feature of the art gallery and museum’s programme since the 1930s.

The exhibition includes an eclectic mix of artistic forms including sculpture, photography, installation pieces, computer generated imagery and textiles.

Both prizes were donated by Friends of Leamington Art Gallery (FLAG).

Admission to the art gallery and museum is free.

Its opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.