#3 Elora Kadir, 2022/23 Alternative Pathway Awards
50 opportunities for 50 years
“For me, bridging the gap between art school and professional practice is really important. Art schools can be rather tough environments for marginalised groups which can leave you quite confused about how to fit into the art world post-graduation.”
Working across a variety of media, Elora Kadir began her 6-month residency/tenancy at Acme’s Warton House building in November 2022 as one of the three recipients of the Alternative Pathway Awards, having looked forward to a space in which to organise and sit with her ideas.
Launched for Acme’s 50th anniversary, the three new awards intend to widen access for artists from all backgrounds and experiences by increasing the diversity and representation of voices in contemporary art.
A Genesis Kickstart Fund project, supported by The Genesis Foundation, the awards will support early-career artists in necessitous circumstances who face additional barriers to sustaining their professional practice.
“Many opportunities can be inaccessible and simply not practically feasible for someone like myself, so it’s amazing to receive this and know that I can rely on Acme to support me as a disabled artist.”
Elora Kadir
Elora sees the award as the opportunity to stay engaged with her art practice.
“I have some existing pieces that don’t feel entirely resolved so it would be great to use the six months to push those works further and be able to hopefully share them with more people.” Elora Kadir
A recent MFA graduate, Elora also says that the timing of the award will help bridge the gap between training and professional practice, a challenge of which she has personal experience: “Being from an underrepresented background (disabled/mixed heritage) makes it difficult to continue my practice once outside of art school.”
Sharing studio space with other Alternative Pathway Awards artists has also provided added value, as in the first few weeks of receiving the award, Elora “already felt a lot more informed about just how diverse London’s art scene is and how my art practice might fit in.”