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Tate Britain has announced the four artists shortlisted for this year’s Turner Prize, the UK’s most publicized art prize.
The shortlist includes artists whose work explores issues such as the Windrush scandal and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual Turner Prize will be awarded at a ceremony on 5 December and the work of all nominees will be on display at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne from 28 September to 14 January 2024.
Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread, Damien Hirst and Steve McQueen have already won the award, which is always given to a British artist and was first awarded in 1984.
The award focuses on recent work rather than lifetime achievements, and the previous age limit of 50 was lifted in 2017.
The 2023 Turner Prize is part of Towner 100, the annual centenary celebration of gallery arts and culture across Eastbourne. The awards ceremony will be held in Eastbourne’s Winter Gardens.
Who is shortlisted for the 2023 Turner Prize?
Tate Britain announced today (Thursday 27 April) that Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker are the four artists in the running.
Tate Director Alex Farquharson said: “The Turner Prize always gives the public a snapshot of British artistic talent today.
“These artists each explore life’s contrasts and contradictions, combining conceptual and political concerns with warmth, playfulness, sincerity and tenderness, and often celebrating individual identity and the strength of community.”
Each of the competing artists will receive £5,000, with a further £25,000 awarded to the winner.
It has not yet been confirmed who will deliver the 2023 Turner Prize, although it is usually awarded by a celebrity, a role filled in previous years by big names such as Richard Attenborough, Paul Smith, Nick Cave, Yoko Ono, Mario Testino and Madonna.
Jesse darling
Darling’s work includes sculptures and installations that evoke the vulnerability of the human body and the precariousness of power structures, Tate said.
“The jury was impressed by Darling’s ability to manipulate materials in ways that deftly express the messy reality of life,” a statement added. “They felt that these exhibitions revealed the breadth and integrity of Darling’s practice, exposing the world’s underlying fragility and refusing to make itself appear legible and functioning to others.”
What works is Jesse Darling known for?
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Darling has been nominated for his solo exhibitions No Medals No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford and Enclosures at Camden Art Centre.
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He previously exhibited The Ballad of Saint Jerome at Tate Britain in late 2018 and early 2019.
Ghislaine Leung
The Swedish-born artist lives and works in London and creates works in the form of ‘scores’ which are “sets of instructions that test the boundaries of the gallery space”.
“The judging panel particularly praised the warm, humorous and transcendental qualities behind the elegant aesthetic and conceptual nature of Leung’s work,” said Tate.
What works is Ghislaine Leung best known for?
Rory Pellegrino
Visual artist Pilgrim ‘weaves together stories, poetry, music and film, created in partnership with local communities’, in Dagenham and Barking where she is based.
“The judging panel praised the project as an outstanding example of social practice,” said Tate. “They felt that Pilgrim’s beautiful and engaging musical arrangements shed light on the voices of their collaborators, and that the confidence and vulnerability of the performance reflected the strength of the relationship between artist and community.”
What works is Rory Pilgrim best known for?
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Pilgrim has been nominated for RAFTS at the Serpentine and Barking Town Hall, and a live performance of the work at London’s Cadogan Hall.
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He has published previous work on Spotify and through the written word.
Barbara Walker
Birmingham-based Walker’s works have explored race, exclusion and power with the latest, Burden of Proof, concerning the Windrush scandal.
Tate said: “The judging panel applauded Walker’s ability to use portraits of monumental scale to tell stories of equally monumental nature, while maintaining a profound tenderness and intimacy across the full scope of his work.”
What works is Barbara Walker famous for?
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Walker was nominated for her presentation titled Burden of Proof at the Sharjah Biennial 15.
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Fittingly, he recently exhibited at the Turner Contemporary in Margate, with his exhibition Place, Space, and Who.
