East Sussex pupils excel in Farley Arts Trust’s Wonderfully Surreal art competition

In May this year Farley Arts Trust invited all pupils doing GCSE or A level Art at state schools in East Sussex to create works of art inspired by the life and work of the famous, American-born model, artist, war photographer and journalist, Lee Miller.For many years she lived at Farley’s Farm, Chiddingly and her son, Antony Penrose, is the Founding Trustee of Farley Arts Trust.

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Announcing the 15 winners of Wonderfully Surreal, Griselda Bear, the Chair of Farley Arts Trust, said: “The entries were exceptional. So many of the young people have created outstandingly thoughtful and powerful paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures that the panel of Trustee judges decided to add the category of Highly Commended and also picked two of the Winners to receive bursaries to use to further their artistic interests.

“To celebrate the high standards reached by these young artists, and provide a lasting reminder of this hugely successful competition, we are producing a catalogue with an image for every participant. These will be given to all the pupils and schools who have taken part.”

Antony Penrose said in this competition he was looking for work that conveyed a sense of the values important to the surrealists – finding the marvellous in the ordinary; the need for protest against injustice; the witty juxtaposition; and the sense of the artist’s connection to the subconscious – and confirmed he found that in abundance.

Forgotten Knowlege, Imogen Churchill. Wonderfully Surreal Winner

The public will be able to judge that for themselves as the 15 Winners’ photographs of their art works will be exhibited at the Depot in Lewes. That will coincide with the screening there of ‘Lee’, the feature film about Lee Miller (played by Kate Winslet) which was recently launched to great acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival.

For further information on the exhibition at the Depot and buying the fully illustrated competition catalogue please contact Miranda Pennington, Farley Arts Trust’s Arts Education Manager at [email protected]