A young Costessey artist is putting on an exhibition in the centre of Norwich later this month as he looks to show off his artistic talents.

Alex Bell, of Vanguard Chase, has organised the exhibition at the Forum himself as he feels it is increasingly difficult for young artists to show off their work.

The 21-year-old graduated from Norwich University College of the Arts (NUCA) in the summer and hopes his exhibition will help to inspire others.

He said: 'I have just finished university and it is difficult individually to do this. It can be a struggle to get an exhibition, but the support from the Forum has been nice.'

Alex, a part-time shop worker, said many of his fellow graduates had been struggling at a difficult time and added that he would love there to be more opportunities for them to show off their mixture of traditional and contemporary art.

The Games Art and Design graduate has created 11 paintings especially for the exhibition, mostly from acrylics. He said he prefers to use this rather than digital design as it means he is able to grasp the finished product.

He said: 'I wanted to try to get out there and get my exhibition somewhere such as the Forum where so many people are coming in and out every day.'

Alex is a former student of Wayland Community High School and City College Norwich, and said that while he was at the high school a piece of his work was shown at London's prestigious Mall Gallery, and he hopes to be exhibited in such locations again.

He said: 'I am trying to get as successful as possible. I'd love to exhibit in galleries or win competitions nationwide.'

The exhibition is being held in the Atrium from 9am to 6pm on Thursday and 9am to 5pm on Friday. Admission is free.

For more on Alex's work visit www.alexbellartwork.weebly.com

Are you holding an event to promote talented young people from Norwich? Contact Local Life editor Richard Wood on 01603 772423 or email richard.wood@archant.co.uk