FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR ONES TO WATCH 2026 JUDGES
Ones to Watch is Sunny Bank Mills’ annual exhibition showcasing some of the most exciting emerging talent Yorkshire has to offer. Meet this year’s incredible panel of judges who selected our artist cohort alongside the Sunny Bank Mills Arts Team.
Aliyah Hussain
Aliyah Hussain is a visual artist based in Todmorden. Her practice explores the connection between ceramics and sound by creating large-scale interconnected sculptures that double up as instruments and feature in soundtracks made to accompany the work. Her work is inspired by feminist science fiction, speculative storytelling, and plant-thinking.
Recent exhibitions include, Plant Dreaming, Leeds Art Gallery, (2025), Forbidden Territories – 100 years of surrealist landscapes, The Box, Plymouth and Hepworth Wakefield (2024-25) and She Was Waiting For Her Roots, Lowry, Salford (2024).
Since 2018 Aliyah has also collaborated with other artists to create soundtracks for worldbuilding projects including, exhibitions, VR animations, computer games, RPGs, and performance.
Cat Scott
Cat Scott MRSS is an established international contemporary artist based in Bradford, UK, who makes experimental, regenerative fluid sculptures, using light/sound/liquids/gases for the public realm, galleries, sculpture parks and light festivals. Her work explores climate themes, such as hydro-feminism, and the wonder of visible/invisible fluid systems in built/natural environments, mixed with womanhood, neurodiversity and identity.
Cat aims to create art to be experience in everyday spaces and is driven by cross-sector, collaborative projects with scientists, engineers, technologists, etc. She makes work for women/girls, neurodivergent/disabled groups, working class people, and the public, and enjoys giving back her extensive skills/experience by mentoring emerging contemporary artists in the North of England (eg: George Moody, Leeds, Yorkshire Sculpture Park Graduate Award 2024 winner).
Since 2014, Cat has secured 14+ commissions/residencies and £75,000+ in funding from institutions, public authorities and organisations, regionally, nationally and internationally – including but not limited to: the Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics (University of Leeds), Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, BD is LiT, Light Night Leeds, Light Up The North, Arts Council England, the Cultural Institute/Priestley Centre for Climate Futures (University of Leeds), Yorkshire Sculpture Park, a-n Artists’ Information Company, Changwon Sculpture Biennale (Korea), Asia Culture Center (Korea), Yorkshire Sculpture International, the British Council, the University of Leeds/Bath/Bradford and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Photo credit: Karol Wyszynski
Hayley Dixon
Hayley Dixon is the Director of Yorkshire Contemporary, joining the team in April 2025 in a return to her home county.
Prior to this, she held leadership roles with Studio Voltaire, London and Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea where she developed projects with David Blandy, Maria Farrar, Mark Fell, Eloise Hawser, Mary Mattingly, Alicja Rogalska and Lindsey Seers, and managed the critically acclaimed Radical ESSEX programme.
Throughout her career, she has championed artist development and mentoring opportunities, particularly supporting emerging and under-represented artists.
Photo credit: Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz.
