Inspiration
Discover incredible creative talent and get inspired.
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Katie Surridge: From Award-Winning Art to Environmental Revolution
In a world where smartphones are replaced every two years and laptops become obsolete overnight, Surridge’s work excavates the hidden stories buried within our discarded devices. Her innovative approach doesn’t just highlight the problem—it reimagines solutions, turning toxic tech waste into transformative art that inspires action.
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What does the future look like according to 500 creatives?
Discover how 500+ creatives envision the future through sustainable practices, collaboration with technology, amplifying marginalized voices, and transforming education.
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From Burnout to Hope: Hana Walker-Brown’s ‘In Pieces’
In a world where burnout has become an epidemic, artist Hana Walker-Brown dared to turn her breaking point into breakthrough art. Her powerful words ‘In Pieces’ won the Zealous Amplify public vote, resonating with countless viewers who saw their own struggles reflected in her vision.
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Meet our Zealous Amplify: Future Winners
With Zealous Amplify: Future coming to a close, we are so excited to tell you all about our winners!
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Meet Arts Emergency
At Zealous, we love using our initiatives to support charities that echo the same messages that we do.
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Championing the Underrepresented: Matt Freidson
At Zealous, we get to meet lots of amazing people and connect with incredible organisations. One of those is Creative Future.
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“As a self-taught, older artist working in an unusual medium, it’s extremely difficult for me to find opportunities to show my work and to network with artists and galleries. Zealous gave me that opportunity.” – Pinkie Maclure
Pinkie Maclure is a Scottish stained glass artist and musician, with a focus on working with stained glass.
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“Applying for awards often seems like a shot in the dark, but my experience with Zealous still reminds me that it’s worth putting myself out there to see what comes of it.” – Katie O’Rourke
Katie O’Rourke is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in Nantes, France, where she moved from Manchester last year. She collaborates with people and brands who make it their mission to do some good in the world. Katie bring ideas to life with care, colour and playfulness. Outside of her client work she loves…
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10 Photography Artists You Need to Follow
These innovative photography creators are redefining visual storytelling through bold portraits and captivating landscapes. Learn about the themes they explore and their standout works to redefine how we see the world through their lens.
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“I wish I knew that!” – Freelancers speak out
Real insights from seasoned creative freelancers on navigating freelance life, setting your prices, and finding your niche— reminding you that you’re not alone in figuring it all out.
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“Winning Amplify has given me confidence” – Zillah Bowes Interview
Zillah Bowes is a Wales-based filmmaker and multi-disciplinary artist who works mainly across film, photography and poetry, as well as installation and sculpture. Her work is often rooted in nature and frequently explores our relationship with the natural environment.
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New BA Graduates To Watch Out For
With graduation season looming, we are so excited to celebrate some of the newest graduates from BA art courses from across the UK.
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Social Gardening (The Mind at Rest)
Winner of the Zealous Amplify: Environment public vote Luminara Florescu is a British born artist, curator, artist mentor and mother based in rural Somerset. Her winning piece, ‘Social Gardening (The Mind at Rest)’, is an immersive film installation which presents a filmic exploration that delves into the profound act of resting in nature.
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The Earth is our Home
Mithail Afrige Chowdhury is a documentary and street photographer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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I Wish I Knew That: Social Media
Are you an artist wondering how to use social media effectively? Take the advice of these founders, consultants, art critics and artists to nail your social media presence.
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Deep in The Eye and The Belly
Zealous Amplify: Environment 2nd place winner Sam Williams is an antidisciplinary, research based creative based in London. His work spans across working across moving-image, collage, choreography and text.
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ALLOWED
Zillah Bowes is a multi-disciplinary artist with a practice in film, photography poetry, installation and sculpture, often combining disciplines. With a spiritual enquiry around climate change and biodiversity, her work frequently explores the relationship between the individual and the natural environment.
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Women Artists You Should Know
On this International Women’s Day, delve into the transformative works of groundbreaking women artists who challenge norms and inspire change across artistic mediums.
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Meet our Zealous Amplify: Environment Winners
With Zealous Amplify: Environment coming to a close, we are so excited to tell you all about our winners!
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The Best Sculpture made by Kinetic Artists
Discover the avant-garde world of kinetic art through our curated list of the best emerging kinetic artists making innovative kinetic sculpture and installations.
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I Wish I Knew That: Selling My Work
Are you an artist wondering how to sell your work? Take the advice of these gallerists, artists and creative coaches to make successful sales.
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Hyperrealism Artists You Should Know
Creating work which is so lifelike is incredibly impressive. We think it is only fair to celebrate artists working in this genre.
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Meet the Amplify Environment Shortlist
As Zealous Amplify: Environment is reaching its final results, we are excited to share with you our 20 shortlisted artists.
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Unlocking your creativity with the author of “Everyone is Creative”
In this interview, Guy explores the true essence of creativity, challenging conventional notions and emphasizing its universal applicability. From tackling digital chaos to embracing discomfort for richer solutions, Guy’s insights guide you on a transformative journey to unleash your creativity in everyday life.
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Ephemeral Artists You Should Know
Ephemeral art spans many mediums, but follows the same principles. It is work which only occurs once and often cannot be embodied in a single lasting object. These artists create brilliant examples of this.
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Video Artists You Should Know
Video art is something which can find itself embedded in many different practices, and these creatives are perfect examples of that.
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I Wish I Knew That: Starting Out
Becoming a creative is a constant learning curve, and there are always things we wish we knew.
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Environmental Artists You Should Know
To celebrate the launch of Zealous Amplify: Environment, we have put together a list of 10 fantastic environmental artists to hopefully give you some inspiration for your submission.
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Minimalist Artists You Should Know
With the idea that art should have its own reality and not be an imitation, the minimalist art movement allows the viewer to see what they see.
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Collage Artists You Should Know
Although traditionally seen as a paper-based medium, collage is a technique which is constantly evolving. Whether working in a more conventional way, or expanding to the digital and three-dimensional realms, these 10 creatives are ones you should definitely be watching.
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LGBTQIA+ Artists and Artworks You Should Know
To continue our celebration of the brilliant LGBTQIA+ artists and creatives who explore gender identity themes both on and off Zealous, we have put together a list of 10 creatives that you should know.
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Unborn
Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing Public Vote winner Lucy Cross is a self-professed endometriosis warrior, which she has had since she was 11 years old. As a result, it has severely impacted her mental health and wellbeing. Most importantly, her experience is not a rare one.
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The Black Experience
Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing 3rd place winner Charmaine Chanakira is a Zimbabwean-born, London-raised Afro Expressionist. As a self-taught artist, her collections are inspired by her experience as a Zimbabwean woman living in the UK.
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The Fog
Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing 2nd place winner Ziyoo Hwang is an illustrator and animator. Using moving images to share their stories, mental health and wellbeing has become an important part of their practice.
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Hear My Cry
Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing 2nd place winner Jennifer Louise Martin is a visual multi-disciplinary artist from London.
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Just Do It
Zealous Amplify: Mental Health and Wellbeing 1st Place Winner Adri São Bento is a Portuguese deaf interdisciplinary artist working with a variety of media including video, performance and sculpture.
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War Notes
Zealous Stories: Photography 2022 winner Mouneb Taim is a photojournalist who has covered life under siege in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Idlib and Aleppo.
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Augmented Reality Murals
Zealous Stories: Design 2022 winner Luke Gray is a nomadic surrealist painter specialising in large scale paintings on walls and canvas.
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HOMEBOUND
Zealous Stories: Short Film 2022 winner Lucy Werrett is an award-winning director and photographer working across Bristol and London.
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The Cut of Your Gib
Zealous Stories: Painting 2022 winner Amy Dury is an artist based in Hove, specialising in oil painting.
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Imperfection I
Zealous Stories: Craft Winner, Carmen M. Castañeda is an artistic researcher and practitioner specialising in hand-embroidery techniques.
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Tippler and The Crow
Mason Matak is an illustrator based in Iran. His works have appeared on the pages of children’s books, beside Old Iranian folktales, as tattoos on people’s skin, and also exist online as NFTs.
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Burial Rites
Zealous Stories: Short Story winner, Yvette Naden, is an obsessive writer of poetry and prose.
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Voice Like an Insect
Zealous Stories: Print winner, Angelica Trimble-Yanu, was born and raised in Oakland, California and is an enrolled member of the Oglála Lakȟóta Nation.
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Terminal B
Zealous Stories: Digital Art winner, Nigel Goldsmith, is a visual artist focusing on environmental issues and the Anthropocene.
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Performative Drawing
Zealous Stories: Performance winner, M. Lohrum, is an artist based in London and currently working across video, drawing and performance.
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We Are Not Ourselves
Zealous Stories, Sculpture winner, Svetlana Ochkovskay lives and works in Portsmouth, UK. Her practice explores ideas of identity, belonging and otherness: encouraging new perceptions of the world by taking the audience to a visual other.
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Wee Muckers – Youth of Belfast
Zealous Stories: Photography winner, Toby binder, has been documenting the daily life of teenagers in British working-class communities for more than a decade. His winning series is a compelling exploration of young people in Northern Ireland, who often suffer the same problems, undeterred by which side of the border they reside.
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From Lenses to Lighting
Zealous Stories: Design winner, Yair Neuman, is a London-based designer and entrepreneur, exploring sustainable design opportunities. Neuman’s Lens Light collection is a positive action to repurpose waste lenses from the eyewear sector into striking, sculptural lights.
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Shadow Passage
Zealous Stories: Animation winner, Ali Aschman, is a visual artist working primarily in stop motion animation. Aschman’s tactile work is rooted in storytelling, but takes a non-linear and surreal approach, finding its own organic structure through an intuitive and often improvisational process.
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Houses of Kadıköy
Zealous Stories: Painting winner, Edinburgh-based artist Emily Moore, creates arresting landscape paintings using an amalgamation of personal source images and experiences. Moore’s creative process allows her to recall each place and combine them to create new, anonymous landscapes.
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Ghosts in the Graveyard
Zealous Stories: Craft winner, Linda Southwell, creates intricate porcelain sculptures based on plant and flower structures. She works from memory, developing flowers that are unique to her. Linda’s work celebrates her identity as a female artist and her fascination with the natural world.
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Oasis
Zealous Stories Illustration winner, Jie Gao, is a London based visual artist and graphic designer. Her winning series, Oasis, uses digital art techniques to express deep-seated loneliness, as the main character gradually looses herself, paralysed by the modern world.
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Fairy Words
Zealous Stories: Short Story winner, Kate MacRitchie, grew up in a small town in the heart of Scotland – a place of Fingalian legend and high, windy fields. Her writing is driven by the shadow selves we keep secret, collective memory and the meeting of landscape and language.
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September / October Highlights
It’s been a while! With museums, galleries and art spaces reopening to the public, you may want to dip your cultural toes back into the art world’s waters. If you’re struggling with what to check out first (both online and in person), here’s a list of 5 events to add to your cultural calendar for…
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The Story of Miss Ruby Ribbon
Zealous Stories: Print winner, Rebecca Carrington, blends prints and embellishments into lively womenswear designs with an innovative twist. Her winning collection, ‘The story of Miss Ruby Ribbon’, is based on a playful narrative, inspired by her childhood and a tribute to her parrot Ruby.
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A Networked Performance
Zealous Stories: Digital Art winner, Francesca Fini, is an interdisciplinary artist focused on experimental cinema, installation and performance art. Conceived during lockdown, her winning work is a fascinating exploration of the deserted Italian squares.
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The Power of Performance
Zealous Stories: Performance winner, Lanre Malaolu, is a director, choreographer, writer and performance artist based in London. Lanre’s work is an unflinching exploration of social and political worldviews, which aims to enhance, challenge and rouse conversation about our own ideals.
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The Fragile Texture of our Desires
Zealous Stories: Sculpture winner, Camilla Hanney, is an Irish artist living and working in London. Camilla’s practice explores themes of time, sexuality, cultural identity and the corporeal. Her winning installation investigates both the fragility of the human condition and the complex nature of our desires.
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Exploring the Rocky Outcrops
Zealous Stories: Mixed Media winner, Alysia Webster, is a visual artist based in Northern England. Alysia’s energetic work aims to recreate the feeling of being immersed in the landscape, and the ever-changing weather against the unyielding mass of the mountains.
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English Journey
Zealous Stories Photography winner, John Angerson, explores the different languages of documentary photography, focusing on how specific communities form, shift and develop. John sets out to report England as it really is, and was; embracing the spirit of English novelist J. B. Priestley.
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Woodpecker
Zealous Stories: Design winner, Rihards Vitols, is driven by the desire to design speculative devices for different environments. He utilises scientific methodology to explore the relationship between nature and technology.
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March Must-sees
Looking to soak up some culture? We’ve rounded up five exhibitions for you to check out this February / March. Featuring nostalgic ceramics, modern craft, sketching workshops and much more.
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The Dictionary
Zealous Stories: Animation winner, Xiaoying Liang, is a graphic designer whose work destabalises, stretches and interrogates the boundaries of day-to-day objects created by their dictionary definitions. Xiaoying playfully questions the authority of the dictionary, defining her practice through this project of self-discovery.
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Forces of Nature
Contemporary landscape painter, Tori Tipton, explores our emotional response and attitudes towards the natural environment. Her work is an amalgamation of recollections, observations and experiences. Amidst these ambivalent forces of nature, one can retreat from civilization and reconnect with the earth.
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A Crafty Christmas
Get into the festive spirit this December and explore the array of Christmas markets and winter fairs that the UK has to offer! Whether you’re looking for gift inspiration, or simply want to indulge in mince pies and mulled wine – you’re sure to find something to enjoy from this month’s top picks.
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The Language of Making
Zealous Stories: Craft winner, Steven Edwards, aims to share the material / maker relationship with the viewer by creating work that emphasizes implied movement. Fascinated by process-led making, he uses traditional techniques to explore unanticipated outcomes.
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Unmissable Shows for October / November
From digital art festivals to printmaking demonstrations, there’s plenty to see this October / November. To save you time sifting through the abundance of events, we’ve compiled a list of unmissable shows to enhance your cultural calendar.
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Dones d’Aigua
Zealous Stories: Illustration winner, Sonia Alins, is focused on the creation of art with a poetic narrative. Sonia’s aim, is that through the relationship between the figures and aquatic medium, the viewer can experience the soul, emotion and energy of the character.
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Your September Schedule
We know it can be difficult to keep up with the countless cultural events happening around the UK. To help you out, we’ve compiled 4 must-see shows for your September schedule.
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How Love Loses Itself
On a quest to rediscover her creativity, Zealous Stories: Short Story winner, Catherine Sleeman, is an experimental writer and dancer. Catherine is interested in the connection that can be formed between words and movement. Her work, Chemistry, delves into the intricacies of a married couple’s complex relationship.
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August Summer Schedule
With summer In full swing, why not take the time to check out what the art world has to offer? Here’s a look at five current displays that are sure to keep your month interesting!
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A Search for Structure
Zealous Stories: Print winner, Carol Wyss, adopts the human skeleton as the framework through which she examines the relationship of human structures to their surroundings. Through her methodical search for what holds things together, Carol broadens the possibilities for interpretation.
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Our Top Picks for July
If you’re looking to add some creativity to your summer schedule, look no further! From plein air painting to award winning illustrations, here are four exhibitions that are sure to keep you busy this July.
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Dirt: A Graphic Novel
Artist and Illustrator Lewis Darley is the winner of the Cass Art Award and the Batsford Prize 2019. His winning project “Dirt” is a graphic novel which explores the whimsical tale of Percy and Sue as they navigate a series of unusual predicaments.
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Must-sees for May
From classical music ensembles to London Craft Week panels, there’s plenty of creativity in the air this month. If you’re looking to soak up some culture, the search ends here. We’ve compiled our top-picks to elevate your calendar, so go ahead and pencil in these must-sees for May.
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Dust: Transforming Contemporary Dance
Zealous Stories: Digital winners, Andrej Boleslavský and Mária Júdová have been investigating the creative potential of technology for over a decade. Their work combines the exploration of technologically informed dance practices with participatory performances, body movement, time and space.
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April’s Dose of Creativity
There’s plenty to see this month, so we’ve made whittling down your options a whole lot simpler with our top 5 picks for April! Immerse yourself within a fusion of hip hop and spoken word, explore China’s digital realm and delve into two newly commissioned moving-image installations.
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Illustrating the Everyday
Introducing four illustrators on Zealous who consistently produce engaging work and seamlessly merge illustration with storytelling. These artists share an inviting playful aesthetic, illuminating familiar themes encountered in everyday life.
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Recreating Natural Phenomena
Zealous Stories Sculpture winner, Daria Jelonek, is a media artist, researcher and designer based in London. Her work is situated in the field of interactive design and immersive art installations, often focusing on the relationship between nature and technology.
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Top Picks For Your March Cultural Calendar
If your March calendar is looking a little lacklustre, don’t panic! We’ve compiled our top 5 picks for the month so that you can schedule in your weekly dose of creative culture without lifting a finger! From architectural storytelling to lunchtime piano concerts, you’re sure to find something to enjoy in this round-up of the…
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Marta Soul on the Interplay Between Reality and Fiction
Marta Soul, participant in the artist-led project 209 Women, creates photographs which generate visual reflections of the interaction between social constructs, aesthetics and behaviour. Born in Madrid and based in the UK, Marta’s relationship with people is essential to raising profound about stereotypes.
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Sculptural Landscapes and Performative Spaces
Meet Candida Powell-Williams, winner of Mother Art Prize 2018, hosted by Procreate Project on Zealous. Candida creates sculptural landscapes which function as platforms for performance. By referring to our identity as subjects straddling physical and digital culture, Candida confronts the ways in which our online experience is impacting sculptural discourse.
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Fulfil your creativity with these 5 exhibitions to visit this February
We’ve tried to pick just 5 excellent exhibitions for you to catch in February 2019 so that you can get some creative inspiration for the year ahead. From London to Liverpool, we think we’re sure there’ll be something for you!
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Ariadna Dane on Organic Wreaths and Imitating Nature
Meet Ariadna Dane, UK based artist and winner of Zealous Stories Mixed Media. Through her upbringing in Siberia, Ariadna has discovered a deep-rooted connection to nature that is fundamental to her ever-evolving practice. Ariadna creates organic forms that are reminiscent of celestial structures, coral wreaths and woodland. Each element is entirely unique and cannot be…
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Meet Chynna Guyat
Meet Chynna Guyat, Brighton based Photographer and winner of Zealous Stories Photography. Practicing between Brighton and London, Chynna’s style is heavily influenced by film, showing how even the most basic moments could be a scene from a film through colour, style, composition and drama.
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5 of the best exhibitions to go to this December
A roundup of the best exhibitions to go to in December 2018 across the UK.
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Flashback to Frieze – Ones to watch
A look back at Frieze 2018 through the eyes of curator/business development manager Toby, who went to the Fair to pick out some brilliant art galleries to look out for in the future.
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7 exhibitions not to miss this November
With the amount of amazing art in the UK, it’s hard to keep up with what exhibitions are on and when exhibitions close. In an aim to reduce the number of times we hear ‘I can’t believe I missed that!’, we’ve compiled 7 exhibitions you definitely don’t want to miss this November.
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Meet Yijin Huo
Meet Yijin Huo, Product and Experience Designer and winner of Zealous Stories Ceramics. Based between London and Beijing, Yijin focuses on data visualisation, material research, emotional expression, cultural experience and cross-sectoral experiments, presented in the form of product design, spatial design, sculpture and installations.
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Meet Oskar Krajewski
Meet Oskar Krajewski, winner of It’s Art Call 2018, hosted by The Cult House on Zealous. Inspired by visions, dreams, technological and spiritual studies and practice, Oskar invests his time in solid and complex sculptures that are thought-provoking, interactive and incredibly detailed.
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5 exhibitions to catch this October
With the amount of amazing art in the UK, it’s hard to keep up with what exhibitions are on and when exhibitions close. In an aim to reduce the amount of times we hear ‘I can’t believe I missed that!’, we’ve compiled a list of five exhibitions you should definitely try to catch in October…
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Meet Phil Vernon
Phil has been engaged in development and humanitarian work for over thirty years, and much of his work focuses on conflict and how we, as humans respond to it. Writing has played a significant role in his professional life and this, combined with a love of words, meant it was only a matter of time before…
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5 exhibitions you should go to this September
We’ve compiled our top 5 exhibitions you should go to this September 2018 so, if you are stuck for where to go, refer to this and you’ll have something to go to every week!
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Meet Michelle Loa Kum Cheung
Meet Michelle Loa Kum Cheung, winner of the the Secret Art Prize 2018, hosted by Curious Duke Gallery on Zealous. Michelle creates fictional environments exploiting the tactility and raw materiality of wood. Using techniques including pyrography and painting, her art focuses on landscape and displaced heritage, as a response to her own cultural heritage and identity…
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Meet Jess Burgess
Meet Jess Burgess, MA Fine Art graduate and winner of the first Zealous Stories, open to UK-based painters. Jess’ practice asks questions surrounding the virtual screen, and has in turn driven her desire to explore painting as a slower medium. A fascination with recipe books has allowed her to break into new grounds, creating her…
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10 photographers on World Photography Day
As you may have guessed by now, we love celebrating creative talent, and what better opportunity to share some of the most awe-inspiring works by our photography community than on World Photography Day! Here are 10 photographers to watch.
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5 galleries to check out for World Photo Day
We’ve compiled a list of our 5 favourite impactful photography galleries below for you to check out and take some inspiration from before you decide to share your photos with the world on the 19th. Be sure to tag us in your pictures or #bezealous so we can share them too!
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Meet Maxwell, Breantonia and Nicholas
We caught up with Emerge winners Maxwell Rushton (Art Prize), Breantonia (Music Prize) and Nicholas White (Photography Prize).
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Meet the Emerge Winners (pt. 1)
Meet Pinkie Maclure, Katie O’Rourke and Emma-Marie Smith, winners of the Emerge Craft, Design and Creative Writing prize categories.
