Winner Announced | Crinan Residency 2026
Winner Announced | Crinan Residency 2026
The Federation of British Artists at Mall Galleries and the Crinan Hotel are pleased to announce the winner of the Crinan Residency as Naomi Sermet.
Congratulations to Naomi Sermet, Painting MA graduate from Royal College of Art.
As the winner, Naomi will receive:
• A week-long residency in Crinan, a beautiful fishing village situated on the remote west coast of Scotland
• Complimentary accommodation in the award-winning Crinan Hotel with stunning views over the islands and the Crinan Canal
• A studio space to use throughout the week
• Art materials from Michael Harding to the value of £500
• A stipend of £500 towards travel and other expenses
• A feature on the Mall Galleries website and Instagram (@mallgalleries).
For more information about the Crinan Residency, click here.
Winner: Naomi Sermet
"My work is driven by a curiosity about the limits of perception; how landscapes are experienced, remembered, and continually reconstructed through time. I am interested less in depicting a place than in understanding how looking itself unfolds, and how images emerge through prolonged attention rather than immediate recognition."
In the artist's words:
I am a London-based painter currently completing an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art (complete September 2026). My work is driven by a curiosity about the limits of perception; how landscapes are experienced, remembered, and continually reconstructed through time. I am interested less in depicting a place than in understanding how looking itself unfolds, and how images emerge through prolonged attention rather than immediate recognition.
Walking is central to my practice. I spend long periods observing, photographing, collecting fragments, and returning to the same locations, allowing landscapes to reveal themselves gradually through changing light, weather, and repeated encounters. These observations become layered paintings that balance representation with uncertainty, inviting viewers to navigate spaces where geological formations, ecological processes, memory, and imagination coexist.
Crinan Residency 2026 | Shortlist
Image credits (left to right):
Maddie Bushby Chelsea College of Arts
Irene Chapman University of Dundee
Connor Draycott The Glasgow School of Art
Xenia Gregoriadis University of Brighton
Ruby Ishola Camberwell College of Arts
Natasha Kawalek Edinburgh College of Art
Anastasiia Kyrpenko City & Guilds of London Art School
Christine Moore Goldsmiths
Louie de Silva University of Leeds
The above shortlisted artists, plus the winner, will receive a complimentary one-year ArtRabbit Artist Plan, worth £99. The plan is designed to help artists build visibility, present their work professionally, sell commission-free, and access curated opportunities, commissions and industry connections through ArtRabbit. Read more here.
With thanks to
