Students from Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) have collaborated with new arts and music company Pink Steam Productions to bring one night of exceptional talent from north east artists with an eclectic art exhibition.

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Keren Pearson, owner of art gallery The House of Blah Blah, set up Pink Steam Productions to showcase art and music events on Teesside and worked with a number of The Northern School of Art students, including Oskar Frere-Smith and Archie Hyde, to put on the show on Thursday 4th February at 1 Exchange Square in Middlesbrough.

18-year-old Oskar and Archie, 18 both from Saltburn, are studying for their level 3 foundation diploma in art and design at the college campus on Green Lane in Middlesbrough and have helped to organise the event at the old Chamber of Commerce building.

Oskar said: “Archie and I have been putting on exhibitions in Middlesbrough for a while now with some success, so we are really just carrying on the progress we have been trying to make with the Middlesbrough art scene. I would describe my art works as contemporary brain food and would encourage anyone to come down and be a part of this one night event which looks at art of the future.”

Exhibiting their works alongside Oskar and Archie were fellow students Sarah Kendall and Eden Calgie, The Northern School of Art technician demonstrator, Jade Sweeting and artists Phil Larry and Jessica Armstrong. Art works on display  included projection, film, paintings, sculpture, screen prints and a live vinyl DJ for the evening, with free entry to the public and for one night only.

28-year-old Jade from Linthorpe in Middlesbrough studied for a national diploma in fine art at CCAD, and is now an illustration technician demonstrator at the college. She said: “As an experienced exhibitor I was excited to show my work in my home town for the first time, which was an experimental screen print.”

Also studying for her level 3 foundation diploma in art and design Sarah Kendall, 19, from Ormesby in Middlesbrough, said: “The exhibition was very contemporary and thought-provoking and this was my first public show, I’m really excited! It was great to see how people reacted to the work and I got a new perspective on my own work. In this industry, supporting local, working artists is an absolute necessity”

Pink Steam Productions owner Keren Pearson, also a graduate from CCAD, set up the sister company to House of Blah Blah recently. She said: “The exhibition was the first event to launch Pink Steam Productions and follows on from my previous show working with Archie Hyde and Oskar Frere Smith. It’s been my ongoing aim to bring unused spaces back to life which I have done with House of Blah Blah, and Exchange Square has so many beautiful Victorian buildings that are sat empty, so I thought the space was perfect, with its pink ceilings and silver floors

“I also have a good relationship and support from Jomast who have kindly sponsored the event and given us use of the premises. I feel the young students chosen are the next upcoming artists of the area and they remind me of a younger us! It’s nice to mix them with some of the artists that are a little further on in their career.”

Sue Dewey, foundation diploma course leader at CCAD, said: “I am very impressed – pursuing the opportunity to get their work seen at such relevant cultural venues shows the ambition, aspiration and enthusiasm of our foundation students. These attitudes together with the innovative and exciting work they produce will not only help their careers develop but will help continue to energise regional arts.”