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UK &
International
Emerging Artist
Awards
VAO26 JUDGES
The Visual Art Open carefully selects distinguished members from the contemporary art world to serve on our expert judging panel.
These judges, drawn from a diverse range of roles, including practising artists, writers, art critics, professors, collectors, and curators, bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insight to the evaluation of each artist’s application.
Their collective expertise ensures a fair, informed, and inspiring assessment process, reflecting the highest standards of contemporary art practice.
Addi Aegisdottir
Addi is the Creative Director at Mall Galleries, home to the Federation of British Artists. As a visual arts charity founded in 1961, Mall Galleries is dedicated to empowering artists through a not-for-profit programme of exhibitions, events, prizes and awards with a strong focus on figurative art.
Serving on the senior leadership team, Addi works closely with the CEO, Chair, and Board of Trustees to provide artists with exceptional learning and engagement opportunities. With a specialisation in the culture and heritage sector, sales development, e-commerce, marketing, and brand development, Addi possesses a genuine passion for empowering artists at all stages of their careers. Over the past three years, Addi has successfully launched Mall Galleries Art Consultancy, a bespoke service catering to private and corporate clients seeking to commission and curate art by both emerging and established artists.
Addi has extensive knowledge of the primary and secondary art market, having built collections for high-profile national and international private collectors and institutions. Prior to working with Mall Galleries, Addi held positions with Everard Read, Africa’s oldest commercial art gallery representing over 60 contemporary artists from South Africa and Europe and the UK’s leading private Fine Art Dealers travelling extensively for clients and placements of artwork within leading art fairs, including Tefaf Maastricht, Frieze and The Armory Show.
Stephanie Dieckvoss
With over 15 years of experience in cultural management across the public and private sectors, Stephanie Dieckvoss has built a distinguished career within commercial art galleries and international art fairs. She managed the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery and successfully raised over £2 million for the gallery’s expansion by organising its charity auction in partnership with Sotheby’s.
Dieckvoss is an Associate Lecturer on the BA Culture, Criticism and Curation course at Central Saint Martins and regularly teaches on the business of the art market for IESA, London. She is also a sought-after speaker, delivering lectures and keynote talks at leading art and cultural institutions.
Stephanie Dieckvoss holds MAs in Art History from the University of Hamburg and the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, as well as an MBA (Public Services) from Warwick Business School.
Her research interests include art and conflict from the 19th to 21st centuries, contemporary art markets, art and globalisation, private museums, and the institutional role of art schools. Dieckvoss also serves as the London Art Market Correspondent for the German newspaper Handelsblatt.
Tabish Kahn
Tabish Khan is an art critic, writer, speaker, podcaster, and curator who passionately believes in making art accessible to everyone.
He visits and writes about hundreds of exhibitions a year, covering everything from the major blockbusters to the emerging art scene, both in London and beyond. He writes regularly for Londonist and FAD and has written for Artsy, Elephant, Stir World, and the New York Observer.
He is co-host of the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Arty and has judged many prizes. Tabish is a trustee of the prestigious City & Guilds London Art School and Discerning Eye, which hosts an annual exhibition featuring hundreds of works. He is also an honorary trustee of ArtCan, a non-profit arts organisation that supports artists through profile-raising activities and exhibitions, and a critical friend of UP Projects that brings contemporary art to public spaces.
Hannah Grout
Hannah Grout is the Senior Fair Manager at The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art. In her role, she works closely with both UK-based and international artists, overseeing curation, exhibitor development, and feature management.
Drawing on her background in art marketing and PR, Hannah brings a sharp industry perspective, advising artists on how to professionally position themselves within art fairs and the wider contemporary art market.
She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BA in History of Art from the University of Leeds. Her combined academic and professional experience informs a practical, insightful approach to supporting artists and fostering dynamic, engaging fair experiences.
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Hanna ten Doornkaat
Hanna ten Doornkaat studied BA Sculpture at Kingston University and MA Sculpture at Wimbledon School of Art (UAL). As co-founder and curator of whiteNoise_Projects, she has curated major exhibitions including WhiteNoise and Past and Present Tense at The Crypt Gallery, London, as well as St. Pancras, Lines, and others at One Paved Court, Richmond.
In 2015, her work was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and the Derwent Art Prize.
She was shortlisted again in 2017 for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the ING Discerning Eye. In 2019, she exhibited in Personal Structures during the Venice Biennale. Hanna has shown her work both in the UK and internationally.
Li Hao
Li Hao is an internationally acclaimed artist whose practice centres on social engagement, collective experience, and public participation, he holds a BA from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He is the founder of SPARK, an ongoing socially engaged art initiative working with underrepresented communities.
He was named the Overall Winner of the Visual Art Open in 2025. In 2024 he received the International Award for Public Art (IAPA) – East and Southeast Asia Excellence Award, and in 2021 Program SPARK was recognised with the iF Social Impact Design Prize.
Li Hao’s work integrates light, technology, and reflective materials to create immersive, site-specific environments that invite people to connect and participate. By transforming everyday spaces into shared creative platforms, his projects seek to foster cultural dialogue and social transformation beyond the confines of traditional gallery settings.
His site-specific projects have been realised in cities including Shanghai and Shenzhen, his work has been exhibited internationally, featured in numerous media outlets, and acknowledged with multiple awards.
Adelaide Damoah
British-Ghanaian artist Adelaide Damoah, Royal West of England Academy Academician (RWA) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), is a London-based multidisciplinary practitioner whose research-led work spans painting, performance, collage, and photographic processes. Her practice explores themes including colonialism, ecology, joy, and feminism.
Damoah’s work is held in prominent national and international public and private collections, including the UK Government Art Collection. She has exhibited in major galleries and institutions worldwide, including Gagosian, and serves on the board of an arts charity. She is also regularly invited to judge art competitions and contribute to public speaking engagements.
