BATSFORD PRIZE 2025 ARTIST INTERVIEW: ERAJ FATIMA

We’re delighted to be speaking to Batsford Prize winner Eraj Fatima who won the Architecture category. We talk to here about her work and the ideas behind it.

WHO ARE YOUR PARTICULAR ARTIST INSPIRATIONS AND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU CREATIVELY?

I think Art Nouveau is so inspirational. The whiplash curves and floral motifs make me wish I was born in those times. That was why I decided to visit Casa Mila (La Pedrera) by Gaudi in Barcelona in the first place, (the subject I drew for the competition).  I love organic architecture and the way it defies gravity.

I also admire Heatherwick studio. The Heatherwick Vessel in Hudson yard is one of my all-time favourite buildings. It brings so many people together. It’s such a beautiful stroke of orange in the greyish blue skyline. I would love to visit it someday.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR STUDIES?

I would love it if I could get a degree apprenticeship to do both my Part 2 and 3 together. That is currently my biggest goal.

WHAT LED YOU TO CREATE THIS PIECE IN THIS PARTICULAR MEDIUM?

Everyone has a phone, and the world has evolved so much so that our lives revolve around phones, some people are so attached that they even take them to the loo. Jokes aside we record almost fondest memories through our phones, and as the world gets older, there are people from younger generation where they have lived their lives through their phones.

And to protect our phones, we use a screen protector, and in a way, it captures the physical memories. As it wears and withers with the places and journey we take through life. In a sense it seen our lives, and lived through us, and seen through the lens of our phones. And why contribute to being part of a throw away society. So why not give it a new life.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOUR COURSE THAT YOU THINK IS PARTICULARLY UNIQUE?

Architecture has been such a huge part of my life and even yours whether you realise it or not. I’ve gone to 13 schools and just as many places to call home. Thanks to my father, he encourages me to travel and see new sights. Seeing the built world from so many perspectives and cultures inspired me to pursue architecture in the hopes that I get to see the sights and live in cultures that I have studied through books.

I think the most unique part about my course is that you get to rekindle that connection you had with your child self. After a certain age you get told to be quiet, don’t touch things, be quiet, or to sit down. I missed being able to try new things because why not. My course made me experiment with so many materials, sounds, and see things from new perspectives. I am leaving with a new perception of myself and the confidence to keep exploring through my own means.

WHAT DOES WINNING THE BATSFORD PRIZE MEAN TO YOU?

It meant a lot. This year was my final year for my undergraduate degree and so any things wrong this year. Honestly sometimes I wish this year didn’t happen sometimes. I felt like a sponge at sea. But winning this award was a reminder I am where I am supposed to be, and my hard work and creativity is recognised. I really am grateful.

IF YOU COULD HAVE CHOSEN THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR’S BATSFORD PRIZE, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE CHOSEN AND WHY?

I think I would choose ‘old love’. The way how quickly the world is moving along is so crazy, I often forget the little things that kept me going in the past. This includes relationships we might have had with places, people, and things we used to cherish. We should give a little grace to how far we have come along. And maybe a way to alight these simple joys of life.

For example, the places you went with your grandparents, to your first friend, the little toy or blanket you took everywhere with you. The days when you could come back home to enjoy a meal made from you loved one. All these familiar feelings.