LONDON.- Contemporary art is a living part of our cultural heritage. Encouraging raw ability and building a broader public appreciation of the diversity and excellence of artistic accomplishment is a vision which Beck’s has long supported.

To this end, we have championed talented artists without compromise for over 20 years. As a bold statement of commitment, Beck’s has given outstanding artistic talent a truly original canvas to work on. Our label. Collaboration over two decades reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of contemporary art; Gilbert & George, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Tim Head, Sam Taylor-Wood, Jake & Dino Chapman, and Tatsuo Miyajima to name but a few.

The result of these partnerships has not only been the creation of a unique library of contemporary artwork, but also providing a significant platform for emerging artists to reach a greater audience. This year we plan to take the project to a new level by literally placing contemporary artwork in the hands of the public.

2008 sees a landmark for the Beck’s art programme, with the launch of Canvas. For this very special project, we needed a very special partner. The Royal College of Art is a particular kind of ideas factory unlike any other. As the world's only wholly postgraduate university institution of art and design, the college boasts a global reputation for artistic excellence and an unrivalled creative environment. College alumni and internationally admired artists Tracey Emin, Tim Noble and the Chapman Brothers all created Beck’s labels during the 1990s. Then, as now, Beck’s was striving to support those determined to express themselves creatively. A partnership with the College presents a great opportunity to achieve this goal.

Four young artists will be selected by a panel of judges from the Royal College of Art to showcase their art on the labels of over 27 million bottles to be distributed nationwide from August 2008. The first bottles to receive the new labels will be launched at an exclusive gallery exhibition to be held at the RCA.

In the endless state of motion that is contemporary visual art some elements remain constant, but never static. Beck’s Canvas marks an evolution of our ongoing support for emerging artists and our vision to bring inspiring and challenging artwork to a broader public.

The Finalists

Riitta Ikonen

http://www.riittaikonen.com/

Riitta Ikonen, 27, is studying a two year MA in Communication Art and Design at the Royal College of Arts, graduating in June 2008.

Originally from Finland , Riitta believes the Beck’s Canvas project resonates with her own belief of taking art out of the gallery for people to see in a wider context. In her mind individualism is a little space inside your head reserved just for you, like a private restaurant table that serves you anything you think to want.

Riitta takes inspiration from ‘the performance of images, through photography and costume design. Certain things, usually small and insignificant, excite me to the point that I have to wear them and then document that process.’

Key achievements for Ritta include featuring on the cover of a ‘mail art’ book published by Lawrence King Publishing and compiled by Flat 33 (RCA Alumni). She has also been interviewed by WWF for her ‘Snowflake’ project, which was funded by the RCA and addressed climate change in the Baltic. In November 2007, Riitta was commissioned by the Tate to produce an interactive costume experience and has most recently been shortlisted for the Adobe Creative Futures 2008.

Riitta is currently still working on producing a herring costume for a dive in the Baltic Sea – another attempt at raising the awareness of climate change in the area. She is also contributing to a campaign to encourage commuters in London to interact on the underground, as well as working with the Tate’s events programme. Plans for the future include travelling around the world to create artwork that highlights local issues for charitable use, “I’d love to take my work to Japan ; go to Mongolia to work hard; go to Cuba for the amazing colours and people; learn new skills and share ideas with unique people.”

Tom Price

http://www.tom-price.com/

Tom Price, 26 is an alumni of Sculpture (2006). Subsequent to this, he received a First Class BA (Hons) Sculpture from Chelsea College of Art in 2004 and currently works from his South London studio, in Brixton.

In April 2008, Price exhibited a solo presentation of his art at the NEXT Art Fair, Chicago and will also be showing work at the ‘Personal Freedom Centre’ in October during Freeze Week at the Hales Gallery. Other awards include receiving the Sir John’s Cass Bursary, which allowed him to study at the Royal College of Arts.

Price is now working on new sculptures and continues to explore different materials and formats.

Simon Cunningham

http://www.simoncunningham.com/

Simon Cunningham is an alumni of the MA Fine Art, photography course (2007) Cunningham lives and works in London .

Cunningham has sold more work than he has been able to exhibit mainly through his group shows and to private collectors. Cunningham is currently exhibiting film and photography work in Fragile at Espai Uba in Barcelona and also in Italy as part of ‘In our world’ at Galleria Civica de Modena.

Charlotte Bracegirdle

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Charlotte+Bracegirdle/29409.html

Charlotte Bracegirdle, 34, is an alumni of the Masters degree in painting (2006). Originally from Broardhembury, Devon, Charlotte spent seven years applying to art schools across the UK before accepting a place at the RCA.

Charlotte has previously been awarded the Davis Langdon award (2006) and was shortlisted for 2007’s New Contemporaries.

Plans for Charlotte ’s future are to continue painting and exhibiting her work, she is currently working towards an exhibition for the Madame Lillies Gallery , Stoke Newington, running from 10 September 2008. Bracegirdle dreams to be an artist in residence at the National Gallery, she loves all the history in there and dreams to spend all her days painting.