Liz Dew (b. 1972) is an artist based in Scotland, whose work has evolved through drawing, printmaking, weaving, painting, film and sculpture. Her approach to making combines intuition and focused research. She was the BAMS New Medallist for 2020-21.

She writes: ‘“Support and Resistance” is a financial trading term that denotes levels between which the price of a share generally remains when the market is “balanced”. In the context of the medal, it might also refer to what we support or resist in life, what we value and protect.

‘The obverse is based on stock market diagrams. The bar chart, used to represent selling volumes, is adapted to appear city-like, a man-made construction. Above, a candlestick chart plots changes in opening and closing share values over time. These trading patterns are assigned names: Three Advancing White Soldiers, Dark Cloud, Spinning Top, Shooting Star, and Gravestones. The names build a coded narrative.

‘The reverse depicts an organic mountain landscape, but the skyline is reminiscent of a line graph and the incoming weather strangely uniform. In the hand, the medal feels imbalanced. Rocky peaks and tree or root-like clusters orientate the viewing direction. When placed on its edge, the medal stands the opposite way up, disturbing the natural order and our expectations.’