Abri De Swardt

"Since the second year of my BA in Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, I was enticed by the notion of coming to Goldsmiths to do a MFA. This predilection was grounded on little knowledge: Goldsmiths in my mind was this mythical place that saw only a handful of South African artists as alumni. It was only during 2011, as a postgraduate student and a part-time lecturer in Visual Studies, that I started to earnestly research Goldsmiths, New Cross and London, a venture that at times seemed overwhelming for someone who had not been in the UK before, and who knew that any future plans would be subject to scholarships.

The experience of now attending Goldsmiths, and having a studio in the Laurie Grove Baths, is still tinged with the surreal ­– I am constantly surprised by the dedication and talent of my peers, the commitment to political integrity, radical research, and the drive to find fresh cultural articulations."