Turner Prize winner and expert on MacKintosh receive GSA doctorates
Born in Glasgow's Pollokshields, her work is rooted in her Sikh upbringing and spans sculpture, installation, sound and video.
She said: 'It was unexpected, but a total honour to be awarded the Honorary Doctorate this year, especially as Glasgow and The Glasgow School of Art are such significant places to me.
'They are both places that have shaped me, and I think often of how fortunate I am to have had access to free education, which was totally life-changing.'
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Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art, added: 'Today marks a key moment for our graduates as they move forward into the next stage of their creative careers, equipped with skills they have learned during their time here at The Glasgow School of Art and applying them in new roles across the creative sector.
'This year's honorary doctorates are exemplars of the impact and legacy that our global creative network of graduates can make, demonstrating the value of creative education and the importance that creative people can make in setting the pace, in asking challenging questions, and in offering positive solutions.
'We are proud to award the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of the outstanding success they have each achieved in their respective fields, expanding their research and creative practices to international significance and acclaim. Jasleen Kaur is the seventh GSA graduate to win the prestigious Turner Prize.
'Her interdisciplinary practice explores how we define ourselves and preserve and challenge our traditions. Architect and teacher Hiroaki Kimura has made a significant global contribution to research and knowledge related to Mackintosh, through a long and remarkable relationship with the institution that has spanned over 40 years.'
Professor Stephen Bottomley, Head of the GSA's School of Design, continued: 'Jasleen Kaur was the winner of the 2024 Turner Prize and a graduate from the GSA's world-class BA (Hons) Silversmithing and Jewellery programme, one of the original subjects taught at The Glasgow School of Art's first incarnation as Glasgow Government School of Design, founded in 1845.
'Our graduates run businesses, work in industry, and lead or teach on the UK's leading design programmes. This year, it is especially fitting that we celebrate the practice and standing of one of the world's most respected artists and inspirational teachers in art and design.'
Kimura's award comes for his promotion of Rennie Mackintosh, and that began when he studied in Glasgow and he's now spent four decades sharing his legacy with the rest of the world and in his home country of Japan.
Professor Sally Stewart, Head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture, said: 'While practising and teaching over the last forty years, first in Kobe and subsequently at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Hiroaki has never ceased to be interested in the studies he began as a student here at The Glasgow School of Art, or the opportunities that those studies opened to him.
'He has fostered and consolidated connections between artists, architects and patrons, between our institutions, professional bodies, and creative communities. Over regular visits to the School, he has recorded the changes to The Glasgow School of Art – occupied and in use, at work and at play, injured, renovated and once again damaged.
'The art school building has become a close friend. His documentation of this remains unparalleled, as does his knowledge of both the mystery and achievements of Mackintosh—an architect from another time but with continuing relevance.'
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