Students at Sheffield Hallam University showcase own artwork after two-year hiatus due to Covid

Joshua Joel Eteson, a fine art student at Sheffield Hallam University who goes by the moniker JJ, said the exhibition will run until Friday, March 11 at the city's Millennium Gallery on Arundel Gate.

He said that fine art students, who are normally associated with a 'really difficult' industry, could take advantage of the opportunity to establish their own reputations prior to entering the real world.

JJ, who is a second year bachelor of arts student, organised the exhibition alongside his course mates, Wren Foster and Chelsea Maria, who acts as the exhibition's curator.

He said: "We'd usually have a gallery organised for you to present your work in an external gallery somewhere to give you that experience in the outside world but of course the last two years, we haven't got that.

"So this year, a couple of us decided that we should put on our own show and asked other students on the course if they wanted to be part of it."

He said the showcase is all self-funded, with everyone who has work displayed at the gallery chipping in to cover the cost of the rent.

He added: "We then got an application, so we rented out a room in the Millennium Gallery so the students are able to exhibit what is essentially an art gallery, which is a good thing for their CV's.

"We are really looking forward to it. It's been a long time since we last had an exhibition. This could also serve as a jumpstart in our career because it is a really difficult industry to be in."

He said that the exhibition, titled 'Unoccupied’, includes works ranging from traditional bronze sculpture to more contemporary, graffiti-inspired multimedia pieces, performance art, and electronic code art.

The exhibition is located in the Arundel Room of the Millennium Gallery and it will be open from 10am to 5pm on Thursday (March 10) and Friday (March 11). The exhibition is free to attend.