UAL: Central Saint Martins Postgraduate Art 2026
‘It’s 90% installations’ advised one friend and my gut take was ‘Is air-based art a module now?’. The only way you’d encounter this many inflatables in one place is if you enrolled in a balloon-animal class. Once I’d got past those first impressions I spotted a few highly talented painters hiding amongst an extensive selection of elaborate installs, but what I want to focus on is the use of video.
Far too often student “video art” is either random imagery with bad prose/diaristic voice-over, or an underwhelming attempt at traditional narrative or documentary style filmmaking that wouldn’t get a pass in an actual Filmmaking degree course. Which is why I was incredibly pleased to see so many CSM students using video not as the entirety of their work, but as one aspect of their output. Video as a tool, like a brush. An essential component that enhances a larger concept as opposed to being just a short form clip that could exist on its own.
Here are nine artists whose use of video caught my attention.
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1 - Chenjie Li (@douhuuu_) — I honestly expected to be spritzed with water as I stepped into the shower in-stall to watch this work, only to thankfully realise the shower head was the speaker.
2 - Wanzi Jin (@02v0id_setup) — The awkwardly slumped, life-sized artist’s figurine was eerie enough, but once it started blinking back at me I got really unnerved.
3 - Jaime Prada (@jaimitopradas) — The spindly steel structure with stretched latex could (and does) stand on it’s own as a sculptural beauty, but as a projection screen for the accompanying video this work goes the extra length to capture your attention.
4 - Siobhan Kay McMorran (@siobhan.mcmorran.art) — An example of how a well placed video can deepen your understanding and appreciation of the incredible detail in this artist’s hand drawn ink landscapes.
5 - Yilei Lu (@LU_YI_LEI) — There’s a lot to look at in this immersive sculptural installation, including yourself, thanks to the inclusion of a rearview mirror.
6 - Marina Trani (@marina.trani) — I’ve often seen “talking statues” welcoming me at foreign airports. These are the first ones I eagerly approached.
7 - Chelsea Cwiklik — This Y2K shrine will trigger Gen X & Millennial nostalgia while being an amusing and mystical cabinet of curiosities for everyone else.
8 - Kat Easto (@blleubelles) — I couldn’t tell if I was playing God or stuck in a themed escape room, but this “Croyden security office” gets bonus points for including a working ceiling fan in the middle of a London heatwave!
9 - Xuanru Jin (@jinnxuanruu) — You literally can’t sit on that chair, but I happily stood and admired how the install perfectly accented the projection of imagery.
Plan your visit
‘Central Saint Martins Postgraduate Art 2026’ runs 01-05 July 2026.
Visit the official site and follow @unioftheartslondon on Instagram for more info about the venue.
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