{"id":786815,"date":"2026-02-24T23:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T23:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/786815\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T23:20:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T23:20:24","slug":"final-four-weeks-for-ones-to-watch-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/786815\/","title":{"rendered":"Final four weeks for Ones To Watch exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Yorkshire\u2019s most prestigious annual art exhibitions, Ones To Watch, closes at the Sunny Bank Mills Art\u00a0Gallery in just four weeks\u2019 time. <\/p>\n

Celebrating 36 talented emerging artists and makers who are based in, or originally from, Yorkshire, Ones To Watch brings together an exciting cross-section of contemporary practice. <\/p>\n

The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, photography, ceramics, design and more, with much of the work available to purchase. A further 14 artists are represented in the Ones to Watch Zine Library.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ones To Watch 2026 at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery. Main work by Yvonne Pethullis. Photo: Harry Meadley<\/p>\n

For new and seasoned collectors alike, the exhibition offers an accessible entry point into collecting original art, with prints and limited editions available at affordable prices. Buying from the show directly supports artists at a pivotal stage in their careers.<\/p>\n

Sunny Banks Mills Arts Director Anna Turzynski said: \u201cThis is our 13th year of Ones To Watch and while it may be an unlucky number for some, it has been an exceptional year for the exhibition. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve extended its duration to reflect its value and central position within our Arts programme, and we\u2019re delivering an even broader programme of events alongside it, including our Performance Night, Overtime Art Club and our first-ever Creative Skills Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cMy intention is for this annual exhibition to be an act of encouragement and support for artists at a time when it can feel as though the world is telling them not to pursue this path. I want to thank every artist who applied this year for continuing to make, experiment and express themselves despite the challenges. Please keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exhibition includes self-taught artists, practitioners returning to a new phase of their work, and those who have applied multiple times. There is so much joy, good humour and raw talent in this show. Please visit before it closes, and don\u2019t forget to vote for your favourite piece to help us decide the winner of The People\u2019s Choice Award.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Works by artists Anouk Fawcett, Abbie Bruff, Jake Jacobs, Bethany Wilson and Michael Campbell in Ones To Watch 2026 at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery. Image by Harry Meadley<\/p>\n

Two of the artists taking part in Ones To Watch are Cassy Oliphant and Pooja Mistry.<\/p>\n

Cassy Oliphant is a Leeds-based community artist based at Sunny Bank Mills, whose practice moves between painting, textiles, and photographic processes including cyanotype. She uses the symbolic language of animals in myth and folklore as recurring figures through which to explore transformation, migration, and belonging.<\/p>\n

Cassy commented: \u201cI\u2019ve taken an unconventional path through the arts. I didn\u2019t go to arts school but instead have been working as a freelance community artist for the last 20 years so being chosen for this year\u2019s Ones to Watch was an amazing moment. I felt seen as an artist and my work understood. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy piece\u00a0Islands\u00a0uses a mix of old family photos, traditional Singaporean embroidery and mythical images to express ideas about identity and belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Works by artists Charlotte Miles, Ria Lake and Ellis Hutton in Ones To Watch 2026. Image by Harry Meadley<\/p>\n

Pooja Mistry is a third-year illustration student at Leeds Arts University whose practice explores the value of imperfection, playfulness and instinctive mark making. Working across drawing, printmaking and sketchbook-based experimentation, she creates expressive, \u201cwonky\u201d animal forms that sit somewhere between observation, imagination and joyful distortion.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThis exhibition feels important because it values process as much as outcome and embraces work that is exploratory rather than resolved. To be included among other artists who are testing ideas, materials and visual languages feels both encouraging and motivating, and reinforces my belief that there is space for imperfection, humour and vulnerability within contemporary illustration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the main exhibition is a programme of events including a Performance Night by Ones To Watch artists on 7\u00a0March, Over Time Art Club workshops and a Creative Skills Day on 25\u00a0March.<\/p>\n