Josie Breese

As the final milestone in an exhaustive roster of degree shows, Future Map hails the work of 24 artists graduating from across the University of the Arts. The four panel members, selected from powerful echelons of the art world, sift through work from 200 courses, supposedly distilling the crème de la crème of emerging young talent. Staged in the 20 Hoxton Square Projects, works are paraded in front of an influential audience, eager to spot or snap up the next big thing.

Admittedly, it is quite a relief to have a reliable group of panellists, deemed trustworthy in their discrimination, take on this daunting task for us. While there is the security of being in good hands at Future Map, the process will always be subjective and talent will inevitably be overlooked. However, the exhibition format offers an unparalleled opportunity for exposure of the lucky chosen few.

The eclectic selection does not hang neatly together, which is not to say that works do not sit well in each other's company. By its very nature of representing different disciplines, Future Map is a showcase without a binding theme but only the panel's agreement of high calibre. This method invades the relationship between the artist and viewer, imposing an external perspective on this exchange. This might make you pause for longer over a work you might otherwise pass by, questioning the motivations of the panel in their choices and inviting a deeper consideration of individual works.

Irrespective of the panel's decisions, some artists that naturally stand out. Pursuing a similar if not identical pattern to that of her degree show, Mamoko Suzuki's hypnotic, sprawling designs are drawn on adjacent walls throughout the exhibition's duration. Her medium of pencil enhances the impermanence of her work, posing as a recurrent stencil of her recognisable style, largely unchanged within this new context. Notable in his under-stated use of ink and oil, the faded colours and undefined figures of Adam Dix's painting is at odds with a disturbingly sombre undercurrent. His works on display at Black Dog/Yellow House at Trolley are similarly poignant.

Films are shown in a separate, darkened room at Future Map, providing an unusually appropriate and focused setting for the four works on loop. Pigsy in Space by Sam Pilling and Chris Lee is not only conspicuous for it's technically accomplished puppetry but also seems to be a clever comment on the imbalance between expectation, consumption and equivalent reality.

Excitement ran high at the opening, largely dominated by delighted participating artists, friends, families and proud panellists. A favourite example of this was the model of MA fashion student Una Burke's dramatic and architectural designs. Her permanent, endearing grin clashed with the piece's restrictive structure, but epitomised the unpretentious thrill and appeal of Future Map. With the overblown hype for yet another Damien Hirst venture opening simultaneously at the opposite end of Hoxton Square, Future Map is a solid reminder that emerging artists of integrity need support at the critical stages of becoming professionals.