“As someone who is a queer person of colour and make work which is all about that and celebrates unrepresented people, it’s an honour to have been selected for this prize for that. The people that I represent are up there with me in a way.”

So says artist Ashton Attzs, winner of this year’s Evening Standard Arts Prize

The theme for this year’s prize was “Progress” and Attzs’ compelling painting, Don’t Stay in Ya Lane, is a celebration of transgender people, “an ode to our everyday swimmers, who glide against the waves of social injustice”.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Attzs says of her painting, “the animated androgynous swimmers in the painting are a tribute to transgender individuals, who absolutely personify the meaning of progress. Being a transgender person is courage, strength and beauty”.

“You don’t really see mixed race people [in art] that often, the brown tones are left out.” says Attzs. “Being mixed race myself [Irish mum and Grenadian dad], I thought ‘right, how nice is it to have people who aren’t just white in paintings?’”

Atzzs’ painting was selected from more than 1,000 entries to pick up the £10,000 prize, given in association with Hiscox, and advocates for the empowerment of the LGBTQ+ community, people of colour and those with intersectional identities.

“My identity is my own,” says Attzs. “I don’t even have a word for it or a title for it, it’s just who I am.”

Attzs, aged 20, is based in Luton where the family home also serves as her studio and is currently at Central Saint Martins studying a Fine Art degree. Atzzs told the Evening Standard, “my parents are such selfless people. If you came to our house and saw the state of our living room, you’d understand. It’s awful. They’ve always encouraged me. They know I work hard, so they believe the success will come.”

In the past year Attzs has exhibited in many shows including Nasty Women’s Empowerment for International Women’s Day and the Anti-Trump Art Show, performed spoken word at Tate Britain and been commissioned by Instagram to paint a piece for Pride. Atzzs is also planning future collaborations with global brands Disney and Adidas.

Don’t Stay in Ya Lane is part of a wider body of work, Queering the Quotidian. Attzs’s core theme is celebrating everyday life and the people you don’t see as much in visual arts — namely the LGBTQ+ community and people of colour.

“When I first started this, my incentive was that this is going to be for queer people, people of colour, people who aren’t represented in art. I didn’t mind if people who aren’t part of these communities don’t like my work or understand it. But I’ve changed quite a lot.”

“I try to celebrate people and by doing that I hope people who aren’t so aware of LGBT issues and intersectional identity issues and the issues people of colour face will try to understand. I think you can do things in a way that is joyful and brings people in. I want my work to be inclusive and inviting and I don’t want to close its borders to anyone.”

Take a look at the original Evening StandardArts Prize Shortlist.