Additional Listing & Dir Hldg

Artisan (UK) PLC
23 December 2002

                                ARTISAN (UK) PLC

                 DIRECTOR'S SHAREHOLDING AND ADDITIONAL LISTING

Artisan (UK) plc announces that it has issued 16,666,667 new ordinary shares of
1/2p each to Aspen Finance Limited at an issue price of 3.0 pence per share.

Aspen Finance Limited is a company in which Michael Stevens, chairman of
Artisan, is beneficially interested as a director and as a potential beneficiary
of its parent company, Okaba Management, Inc.

Following the issue of the 16,666,667 new shares, Aspen Finance will hold
26,666,667 ordinary shares in Artisan, representing 9.34% of the enlarged share
capital in issue.

Michael Stevens advised that the new equity was intended to provide additional
working capital resources for the Company and to assist the development of the
Company's plans to generate future capital growth, as outlined to shareholders
at the Company's AGM in September 2002.

Application has been made for the new shares to be admitted to trading on the
Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange and dealings are
expected to commence on 2 January 2002.

End






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