‘The aim of the Chaiya Art Awards and the accompanying book is to pose questions about God, spirituality and its relevance to today’s society.’
Katrina Moss, the founder of Chaiya Art Awards
A year on from the start of the pandemic, Google revealed that in 2020 searches for ‘prayer’ soared as we reconsidered and refocused our locked-down lives.[1] This questioning after the divine is the inspiration behind the second £10,000 Chaiya Art Awards prize and exhibition, showcased in the beautiful, accompanying hardback book God is…
Commenting on the Chaiya Art Awards book and this year’s theme, ‘God Is…’, author Ann Clifford says: ‘Our understanding of life is individual, but we all cry out in pain and pleasure, we all crave connection and something more. Grasping the opportunity to explore spirituality will enrich, sustain and offer adventurous hope.’
Selected from more than 700 entries, the fifty visual artists featured in this juried and curated exhibition, and showcased in the book, explore the theme ‘God is…’ through: canvas and paper, photograph and video, metalwork, pottery and more. Hosted from 14 to 23 May 2021 at the prestigious oxo@gallery on London’s South Bank, the exhibition will create a liminal space where life’s pain and pleasure dissolve, where questions and answers fade into shadow, and where the indefinable lies, a treasure waiting to be found.
A beautiful hardback book, God Is… will be a welcome gift to anyone interested in art, and to all those asking questions about life and faith. The exhibited artists’ work will be available to buy at the Chaiya Art Awards exhibition, both online and in London’s oxo@gallery, with 10% of all sales going to their charity partner UNSEEN, working to end human trafficking and modern slavery.
For all details, and to view the exhibition online, visit: www.chaiyaartawards.co.uk
[1] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9393665/Google-Panic-attack-hug-prayer-peak-searches-amid-pandemic.html
God Is… by Ann Clifford (ISBN: 9781912726233) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 21st May 2021 from bookshops and online retailers. Nonfiction, hardback, 112pp, £20.