Two Manchester School of Art students selected for Venice Fellowships 2026
20 April 2026
Emma Mitchison and Mina Kyoleyan will present their work at the 61st International Art Exhibition
Manchester School of Art students Emma Mitchison (BA Product Design and Craft) and Mina Kyoleyan (MA Contemporary Curating) have been selected by the British Council to take part in the 2026 Venice Fellowships.
Five students were shortlisted by the School of Art and Design with the British Council making the final decision on the successful applications. Emma and Mina will be part of sixty Venice Fellows who will represent the UK at the British Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition whilst developing their own creative and research projects during a one-month residency experience in Venice.
Speaking on being selected by the British Council, Emma Mitchison from BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft said: “I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for this opportunity. To represent the UK and Manchester School of Art at such a major international event is both an honour and a privilege. I’m looking forward to the interactions that will take place between our work and the public. The public’s experience and interactions with the work are incredibly important to the lifecycle it has. To play a role in creating a welcoming and engaging experience for people will be incredibly rewarding. I’m also equally excited to spend time in Venice outside of the pavilion as it’s a city with an incredibly rich history in glass making. Glassmaking across the world is still largely influenced by Venetian techniques developed hundreds of years ago. Learning about this history at its source, from glassmakers who live and breathe the craft will be influential for the development of my practice after graduation”.
Emma’s practice focuses largely on glasswork and her research project allowed her to explore the complex history of glasswork in Venice. Speaking on her practice and the project she said: “Glass is an endlessly fascinating material to work with, at one moment it’s fluid, bright and liquid and in the next it’s brittle and solid. It’s been in our hands since the Stone Age as obsidian hand axes and still continues to be today in the modern iPhone screen. Even though it’s a material that comes from the Earth it’s strange because it doesn’t possess any of the qualities of sand and doesn’t behave like anything that belongs on this planet. As much as I love the material properties, what truly kept me coming back is the community that working with glass builds. My research project explores the history of Venetian trade beads as a way of reflecting on ideas of cultural exchange and shifting identity. Gaining popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries, these beads were widely circulated through colonial trade networks, being primarily produced in Venice. They travelled across vast networks of exchange, acquiring new meanings in different cultural contexts”.
Emma added that this historical context of shifting communities and cultural context was particualrly important to her: “Growing up between by two very different cultures has played a large role in my identity and work. My mum’s side of the family is from Cuba, whilst my dad’s is from Scotland. Navigating the influence of these two cultures gave me a complicated and sometimes uncertain relationship to place and cultural identity as I didn’t feel I belonged neatly to either. I feel very fortunate to have been brought up in London surrounded by so many different cultures and communities. However I know that not all places are like this. These ideas feel especially important to think about now, in an increasingly globalised world where questions of identity and cultural belonging are constantly shifting”.
Although each Venice Fellow will be working on their own creative project. There will be lots of room for collabroation with other creatives as they will invigilate the galleries, engage visiting members of the public and create moments of intercultural dialogue and connection.
Emma commented on how her creative practice has played a major role in social and community connection: “Throughout my time at university the glass workshop has become a second home to me. Our technician Gemma is incredible, she’s created such a welcoming space where anyone and everyone can freely express themselves. Glass blowing is a team sport so it’s really important to have good relationships with the people you work with. I feel lucky to be surrounded by such talented people, who all push and support each other to be the best artists they possibly can be. During the Venice Fellowship I’m looking forwards to community building with the other fellows. The online induction sessions put together by the British Council have already been so welcoming, meeting everyone in person is even more exciting. I can’t wait to see how our projects might crossover and the possibility for collaborations to form when we’re in Venice”.
The experience gained via the residency in Venice will also allow both students to develop their practice and inform their final projects at Manchester School of Art. Speaking on how her practice has developed so far, Emma Mitchison said: “My creative practice has developed significantly throughout my time at Manchester School of Art! When I first joined on the Foundation I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to take within the arts but the Craft course allowed me to fully delve into my fascination with materiality, and explore it in many experimental ways. I’ve been able to try countless materials and processes both physical and digital. While I’ve developed a strong set of technical skill within glass what has remained consistent is my desire to experiment. Although challenging at times, it’s taught me a lot about myself encouraging me to be more open to collaboration and helping me develop patience and diligence. I now feel confident in my ability to express my ideas through the material, while recognising there is always more to learn”.
