Ambitious new work announced for Jerwood Art Fund Commissions 2026
Two new artist commissions, supported through Jerwood Art Fund Commissions, will see Charmaine Watkiss and Yuen Fong Ling create some of their most ambitious work to date.
These projects will enrich UK public collections and draw on archives and family histories to inspire new conversations about memory, identity and ancestral knowledge.
Charmaine Watkiss commissioned by The New Art Gallery Walsall
The New Art Gallery Walsall has been awarded funding to commission a major new sculptural installation by British artist Charmaine Watkiss, whose practice investigates the botanical legacy of the Caribbean.
The Things We Hold Sacred builds on ideas explored in Watkiss’ acclaimed Plant Warriors series – drawings inspired by spiritual belief systems shaped by the transatlantic slave trade, which personify plants as mythical female warrior figures – and extends these motifs for the first time into three-dimensional sculptural forms.
Developed in partnership with Coventry University, where Watkiss will work with paid art students, this ambitious project will be the first sculptural installation by Charmaine Watkiss to enter a UK collection. The installation will be on display at The New Art Gallery Walsall from 2 October 2026 to 11 April 2027 as part of a major solo exhibition by the artist.
Yuen Fong Ling commissioned by the British Library and Leeds Art Gallery
The British Library and Leeds Art Gallery, in partnership, have been awarded funding to commission The Fold, a new multi-part artwork by British-Chinese artist Yuen Fong Ling, created in dialogue with books, sculptures and objects from their respective collections.
Inspired by his own family history of migration to the UK from Lai Chi Chong in Hong Kong, Ling’s commission will challenge the myths, stereotypes and social expectations that have been portrayed in historical narratives by reframing the stories of British-Hong Kong families.
Using the folding fan as a recurring motif, Ling will bring these ideas together in an exhibition that presents new artworks alongside artists’ books from the British Library, folded sculptural forms from the Leeds Museums and Galleries collection and social history artefacts from the Chinese community, for an exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery from May to October 2027.
About Jerwood Art Fund Commissions
Jerwood Art Fund Commissions offer a rare opportunity for an artist and museum to work together on a fully funded, ambitious commission. A partnership between Art Fund and Jerwood Foundation, the programme enables museums and galleries to collaborate with early- to mid-career artists on new work, covering the full costs of delivering and presenting commissions.
The first round of funding in 2025 saw the University of Aberdeen and Tate Liverpool commission artists Sekai Machache and Julianknxx respectively to create new works for their collections.
Sekai Machache’s Aberdeen Tapestry will be unveiled later this year at the University of Aberdeen’s Sir Duncan Rice Library, while Julianknxx’s immersive, multichannel video and sound installations will be unveiled at Tate Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum from 2028, following completion of major capital redevelopments.
Jenny Waldman, director of Art Fund, said: “Jerwood Art Fund Commissions provide a rare and welcome opportunity for museums to offer fully funded commissions to exciting artists for ambitious projects.
“These commissions from Charmaine Watkiss and Yuen Fong Ling continue our exciting partnership with Jerwood Foundation, highlighting the transformative power of collections in keeping museums vibrant, engaging, and full of artistic ambition.”
Lara Wardle, executive director and trustee of Jerwood Foundation, said: “These two new Jerwood Art Fund Commissions, awarded to Charmaine Watkiss and Yeun Fong Ling, will enable the artists to realise ambitious new works, which will in turn enrich our public collections and benefit visitors.
“This unique partnership with Art Fund, now in its second year, underlines Jerwood Foundation’s longstanding commitment to excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK.”