Young artists’ work finds permanent home at Finsbury Trust offices

By Frankie Hatton
Works by Bayside School students Mathieu Busto, Aimee Linares, Luciana Murray and Amal Al Labed are now hanging from the walls of Finsbury Trust’s offices after earning prizes at the Finsbury Trust Bayside Art Competition.

Speaking at an intimate gathering at their premises, CEO Benjy Cuby reflected on how the idea for the contest stemmed from a desire to transform expansive white office walls with meaningful local artwork.

Mr Cuby said the concept began as a simple vision to bring colour and character into the space. He approached Karl Ullger, Head of Art at Bayside School, and from that conversation the Trust’s first art competition was launched.

Mr Ullger said the response from students was swift and enthusiastic.

Within two and a half weeks of announcing the competition, around 140 pieces of artwork were submitted, with some students entering two or more works each.

He said the level of participation highlighted the depth of artistic talent among the students, with more than 80 art students ultimately taking part.

Finsbury Trust donated the prize money and presented awards to the winners, along with the commitment that their artwork would be permanently displayed in the trust’s offices.

Mr Ullger said it would be wonderful if Finsbury Trust invited Bayside to contribute artwork every year to decorate Mr Cuby’s wall space.

He added, however, that it would only be fair to extend the opportunity to other schools as well, noting that the initiative is centred on celebrating student talent across the community.

In total, four prize-winners were selected, with their pieces now forming part of the office environment where they will be viewed daily.

The winners were:
First prize: Mathieu Busto (Year 12) – 5th Avenue
Second prize: Aimee Linares (Year 13) – Calle Comedia
Third prize: Luciana Murray (Year 12) – Final Destination
KS3 category winner: Amal Al Labed (Year 9) – Lavender Fields

Mr Cuby said the initiative had been a rewarding way to fill the new office with original local art created by Gibraltarians for a Gibraltar trust company, adding that there were still a few more white walls waiting to be transformed.