ELEPHANT ART AWARDS FOR WEST LONDON COLLEGE STUDENTS ZAINAB AND MALACHI
Zainab Zidan and Malachi John won prizes in Elephant’s LGBTQ+&Inclusion Art Competition, celebrating Pride Month in June (28 June). Zainab won an Elephant Award and Malachi won second prize, awarded by Kier. Elephant is a magazine, online art shop and art academy with an ethos to inspire every artist.
Zainab and Malachi have just completed their studies on the Step Up to IT, Art and Media programme, run at Ealing Green College, one of the four colleges that make up West London College. Next year Malachi plans to progress to Art and Design Level 1 and Zainab, who wants to be a pharmacist or doctor, plans to progress to Applied Science Level 1, but is also considering Travel and Tourism.
Malachi said: “I was shocked and really pleased at the same time to find out my artwork was valued and to receive the acknowledgement.”
Malachi’s artwork, titled ‘You Are Not Alone” depicts a waterfall as a rainbow and represents everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. Before it there is the small silhouette of a person standing lonely and isolated, gazing at the waterfall, which is the hope that everything is changing.
Zainab’s work, a collage, is titled ‘Breaking Barriers’.
Zainab said: “I have taken different parts from women and then combined them to show anyone can be who they want to be.”
Zainab receiving her Elephant Art prize from Emmely
Zainab and Malachi’s work was part of a series of ten artworks selected and displayed outside of Elephant Space, next to White City tube station.
Emmely Elgersma, who organised the art competition at Elephant, said: “We wanted to reach out to schools as a way of communicating with our local community, using a public space to show what people are feeling. The project, which is the first of its kind has worked so well we will be utilising the space in a similar way for the future.”
Gareth McLennan, Head of Curriculum for IT, Digital and Creative said: “Congratulations to Zainab Zidan and Malachi John, and thanks to their teacher Lorna Acikalin for overseeing the whole Step Up to IT, Art & Media group’s entries. You’ve all done West London College proud!”
To read a fuller article about the whole exhibition, its ethos and the artists who participated; written by The Elephant about the awards, please visit the link below:
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