Anyone who follows the news can tell you that the British have an obsession with public prizes (and all-girl pop groups…I lived there, I’m allowed to say these things). The Mercury Prize, the Booker Prize, and of course the Turner Prize all have a huge media presence and it seems the general thinking is the more controversial an awards process is, the better. Maybe it’s a good thing? It certainly does encourage people, in the case of the Turner Prize, to think about and debate the definition and purpose of art who perhaps would not have otherwise. It definitely is used (controlled by?) as a marketing tool by elite dealers, however…there’s rarely a year where one of the finalists isn’t represented by a Saatchi/Gagosian/etc.
This year’s shortlist includes Roger Hiorns, Enrico David, Richard Wright, and Lucy Skaer. Check out the Associated Press article by clicking here.
Women are historically under-represented as both finalists and winners for this award, so I’m posting a picture of Skaer’s 2008 installation Untitled (The Siege) above to show my support!
