Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Jonathan Trayte. It dates from 2010 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Jealous Print Studio launched an annual prize in 2009 to support emerging artists graduating from eight major London art schools.
About this work
Trayte’s print sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s growing collection of these grad-prize works.
This screenprint is one of eight new prints made by recent London art school grads. Each winner got a paid studio stay to make a limited edition piece. Trayte’s print sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s growing collection of these grad-prize works.
The Jealous Print Studio started the annual prize in 2009 to help new artists launch prints. Winners get coaching, time, and cash to create something fresh. These prints often show bold ideas from young talent.
See the next grad-prize portfolio at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
The Jealous Print Studio launched an annual prize in 2009 to support emerging artists graduating from eight major London art schools. Each winner receives a fully funded residency to produce a limited-edition screenprint under professional guidance. The resulting works, one from each institution, are exhibited together and donated to the V&A’s print collection, creating a sustained record of new artistic voices in British printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
Jonathan Trayte’s contribution reflects his interest in the intersection of organic forms and industrial materials. The print suggests a fragmented, abstracted still life—possibly referencing discarded objects or bodily remnants—rendered with deliberate ambiguity. Its meaning emerges through texture and composition rather than literal representation, inviting viewers to consider decay, function, and transformation.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the work employs layered ink applications to build subtle tonal shifts and tactile surfaces. Trayte’s approach favors controlled imperfection: slight misalignments, uneven ink density, and matte finishes contribute to a sense of material presence. The style avoids graphic clarity, instead emphasizing the physicality of the printing process and the weight of the image’s implied forms.
History & Provenance
Trayte’s print was produced in 2010 as part of the inaugural cohort of the Jealous Graduate Prize. Following his residency at Jealous Print Studio, the edition was formally accessioned into the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection, where it remains part of an ongoing archive of works by recent graduates. The V&A’s acquisition underscores the program’s role in documenting the evolution of contemporary British print practice.
Context
The prize emerged during a period of renewed interest in printmaking as a viable medium for conceptual exploration among young artists. By offering institutional support and studio access, Jealous countered the marginalization of print in favor of more dominant media. The program positioned London’s art schools as a collective hub for innovation, linking academic training with professional production.
Legacy
The annual prize has established a consistent, non-commercial archive of early-career printmaking, preserving works that might otherwise remain unseen. Its donation to the V&A ensures long-term accessibility and scholarly engagement. Trayte’s print, like others in the series, contributes to a broader narrative of how emerging artists negotiate tradition, material, and meaning in contemporary print culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jonathan Trayte’s screenprints from 2010 are flat, patterned shapes that feel like graphic poems made with ink and paper.
