#7 Sabīne Šnē, 2023 Helen Scott Lidgett Award
50 opportunities for 50 years
“I think it is healthy for artists to live abroad for at least some time, broaden their perspective and build new relationships.”
Sabīne Šnē is a Latvian artist who explores the intersections between culture and nature in her practice. Sabīne was selected for the 2022/23 Helen Scott Lidgett Award by a panel including Zane Čulkstena, founder of Kim Contemporary Art Centre from a shortlist of six MFA graduate artists from the Art Academy of Latvia, and currently shares a studio as part of Acme’s Early Career Programme.
The Helen Scott Lidgett Award is a partnership between Acme, Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London), Art Academy of Latvia and the family of Helen Scott Lidgett. Aiming to provide a bridge between art school and professional practice, the award includes a bursary, rent-free studio space and access to mentoring. Recipients of Acme’s Early Career Awards Programme work from shared studios to encourage an environment of peer support and critical dialogue.
“The award allows me not to think about the mundane and gives a space for creativity in comfortable conditions.” Sabīne Šnē
Sabīne’s first impression of the studio is that it is “a safe place for new meanings to emerge via creative experiments and knowledge-sharing.” She has a few works to create for upcoming exhibitions and says that “having a studio like this gives an inner urge to make art because there are no excuses for not doing it!”
Sabīne is planning to spend her time in London researching and taking inspiration from different places, as she now finds herself living in “one of the hottest art destinations, with an opportunity to develop my practice here.”
“Another important mission is to meet new people and expand my network. I will also use time here to explore museums, galleries, and cultural life. To sum up: I plan to navigate myself and my practice literally and symbolically through London life. Soak it all in and be open for things to happen.”