Maryam Wins Painting Category at Visual Art Open Prize 2026
11th October 2026
An international exhibition at London’s Minster Building brought together selected contemporary artists and members of the art world.
Maryam Deyhim has been named Painting Winner at the Visual Art Open Prize 2026 for her oil painting Empyreans.
The painting was previously awarded the Judd Medical Third Prize at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists’ 2024 Prize Exhibition. Its latest recognition at the Visual Art Open marks a further distinction in the exhibition history of the work.
The winning painting was presented at the VAO Finalists Exhibition at The Minster Building in London, held from 9–11 October 2026. The exhibition brought together selected contemporary artists working across a range of disciplines, creating a setting for their work to be encountered by collectors, curators and art professionals.
In Empyreans, distant travellers emerge from a celestial expanse, drawn towards a forgotten home by ancient memory and an enduring sense of belonging. The painting inhabits the space between departure and return, exploring the pull of origins and the possibility of rediscovery.
