Something you should see… Bloomberg New Contemporaries at the ICA

It’s that time of year again, when the annual showcase of ‘hot young things’ in the art world returns to London’s ICA. The Bloomberg New Contemporaries show presents the best work from up-and-coming talent across a variety of mediums and since 1949, has been one of the major open-submission exhibitions in the UK. It provides a platform for young artists at the start of their professional careers to show their work to the public and previous illustrious exhibitors include David Hockney, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, Tacita Dean and Damien Hirst – so this touring exhibition has a knack for spotting future names of contemporary art.

Selectors this year have picked 29 finalists, from over 1,200 submissions, to give us a ‘sneak peek’ of the future. The artists, either new or recent graduates and final year students, all hail from art institutions across the UK. Participating contributors include Nicola Frimpong who uses watercolour and coloured inks to explore the themes of violence, hatred and sexuality; and Bryan Dooley who spent weeks photographing New York University’s running team for his Trak Star series.  There’s also Jackson Sprague and Jennifer Phelan, who engage with sculpture on various scales – and working with the moving image Anita Delaney, whose film Ready for a Fight has been cited as one of the stronger video pieces on show.

This year’s exhibition opened in Liverpool, as part of the city’s Biennial art festival before heading to the ICA. So here’s a brilliant opportunity to check out what’s happening in the UK art scene, maybe spot some emerging trends and even discover a future Turner Prize winner or two. (Words: Eri Otite)

Bloomberg New Contemporaries at the ICA from 27 November 2012 – 13 January 2013. For more info, visit www.ica.org.uk