“I’d always dreamed of being selected there but imagined it would be much further in my career,” she said.

Curators Thomas Hjelm and Lauren Bevan chose the painting ‘Mother and Child’ for Ġulja’s participation, as part of an ongoing series of works that has yet to be exhibited collectively, as they were only permitted to choose one painting to exhibit in the MA degree show.

“Compared to the other works in this ongoing series, this painting is more playful. I began this series at the start of the pandemic and as it started to lift, the existential component in my work also started to lessen,” Ġulja said.

“There’s humour in the work, partially brought about my Pareidolia which I accentuate in this painting through anthropomorphism,” she said.

She also expressed how she tends to look out for recognisable patterns and visual connections between things, whether animate or inanimate.

“More than 200 artworks created by the next generation of artists will be on display – each one represents a triumph for art against the setbacks faced by so many emerging artists during the pandemic,” said Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries.

‘London Grads Now. 21’ is a graduate-led showcase running from 4th November through to 16th January 2022.

The major exhibition presents a survey of London’s new emerging art scene, with new works selected, spanning moving images, assemblage, installation, performance, painting, sculpture, photography, and drawing.

Ġulja Holland is a figurative painter based between Malta and London. She graduated with a MA from the Royal College of Art, London in July and a BA (Hons) from Leeds Arts University in 2015.

Follow the artist on Instagram for more updates at @guljaholland

If you’re interested in attending the exhibition, you can get tickets by following this link.

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