turner prize

Another year, another Turner. This year’s four potential £25K winners are…. (in no particular order… you know how objective we are): Spartacus Chetwynd, Luke Fowler, Paul Noble and Elizabeth Price. But because we aren’t objective enough we shall give this year’s jury a few recommendations right?

Paul Noble - Public Toilet - 1999 (Paul Noble - Gagosian - London)

Starting with our favorite up above: Mr Paul Noble, the surreal architecture & scatological drawing master who was nominated for his 2011 solo show at London’s Gagosian Gallery: “Welcome to Nobson”. An exhibition around Nobson Newtown, his fictional city composed of labyrinthine edifices and deserted topography embedded with modules of dense detail. Such complex structures that tend to mix the worst and most divine features of human species much like Bosch and Bruegel did in the 16th century. The most perverted of all 4, the one who should definitely ear the cash.

Welcome to Nobson (2011) installation shot at the Gagosian Gallery

Although wickedness aside the jury believes all nominees share “a common sense of humanity and lack of arrogance” as well as an interest in the 1960s and 1970s – decades when they were growing up. How about the other 3?

Luke Fowler, All Divided Selves, 2011( Photo Courtesy of the artist, The Modern Institute - Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne)

Luke Fowler (the youngest of all 4 and famous for his mixages of found footage with own material) has been shortlisted for his exhibition at Inverleith House in Edinburgh which showed his third film from a trilogy about the late Glaswegian psychiatrist RD Laing ( who espoused views that challenged the psychiatric orthodoxy).

The other filmaker Elizabeth Price was nominated for her show at the Baltic in Gateshead, whose exhibition will remain open until late this month.

Elizabeth Price, User Group Disco, 2009 (Photo by Elizabeth Price, courtesy MOTInternational, London)

And to shake things a bit (because we also love this last one) Spartacus Chetwynd (well known for off-the-wall performance pieces) has been nominated for her solo exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ, London, “Odd Man Out”, creating once again her a carnivalesque performance involving handmade costumes and sets and blurring the boundary between performer and spectator and improvising improvising improvising!

Spartacus Chetwynd - still from his performance Odd Man Out (2011)

This year’s nominees exhibition is back to London and will be held @ Tate Britain opening on 2 October 2012. The winner will then be announced at the same museum 2 months after: on Monday 3 December. Good luck folks!

From next October 6th to January 3rd you’ll all be able to visit and see (also critic as usual) the final four artists who are this year’s candidates to the famous Turner Prize (which next year will turn 25!!).

As you know the Turner Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding exhibition to all those English “artists” who imagine things differently. People like Hirst or Steve McQueen (not the actor please) are names we all know today and who one day made it also through the short list.

This year’s four are….

Enrico David, a contemporary surrealist who “creates rich and profoundly original paintings, drawings and sculptures which are disconcerting, confrontational and beautiful”.

Enrico David's Bulbous Marauder 2008 — Enrico David’s Bulbous Marauder 2008

Roger Hiorns who creates arresting sculpture and installation combining unusual materials. Like this “Seizure”, a flat in South London filled with liquid copper sulphate and then encrusted ith blue crystals.

Roger Hiorns' Seizure 2008 — Roger Hiorns’ Seizure 2008

Lucy Skaer who makes drawings, sculptures and films which often take found photographic sources as their starting point.

Lucy Skaer's Black Alphabet 2008 — Lucy Skaer’s Black Alphabet 2008

and last but not least, Richard Wright (our fav!) who creates stylish and subtle wall paintings that respond directly to the architecture in which they are created.

They’ll be presenting their work in a three month exhibition at Tate Britain (London)… and in the meanwhile the jury will meet to decide the winner on December 7th 2009!!!

Turner Prize 2012 shortlist announced

Turner Prize 09!