Clifford Chance

Helen Waters awards Clifford Chance Printmaking Purchase Prize 2021 to Khushna Sulaman-Butt

Now in its 25th consecutive year, Clifford Chance's annual Postgraduate Printmaking Purchase Prize is awarded to the best printmaker completing their MA studies at a London art college in 2021. Worth £2,000 to the winner, it is now established as the premier prize on offer to the UK's postgraduate printmakers.

The annual Prize is selected by a leading figure in the print world, and this year Helen Waters, Director of Cristea Roberts Gallery, Mayfair, selected Khushna Sulaman-Butt from the Slade School of Fine Art as the winner of Clifford Chance's Purchase Prize 2021.

Khushna said, "I’m so humbled to have been awarded the Clifford Chance Purchase Prize. It’s been an honour having my work shown alongside fellow artists that explore printmaking. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that my etchings will be displayed alongside some of my favourite artists to learn from, such as David Hockney, Peter Doig and Chris Ofili. The prize money will help me develop the process of etching and to further explore it alongside my current painting practice."

Helen praised Khushna's etchings, noting that "Khushna is taking a traditional technique and giving it a new energy through representing life in the 21st Century. Her subject matter is contemporary yet her figures adopt classical posses", and commended "the beautiful quality of mark making of the etched lines. The Prize is so important to the artists and it's such a great thing that Clifford Chance do supporting young printmaking talent."

Julia House, Senior Associate and member of the Clifford Chance Art Committee said, "Art matters to us at Clifford Chance. The art displayed in our offices brings the creativity of our leading artists and young talents to the heart of our working lives. And, without doubt, one of the highlights of our art year is our survey exhibition Postgraduate Printmaking in London and the award of the Purchase Prize."