We all know that the Turner Prize is one of UK’s most prestigious awards and it is given out every year to the artist that has the most impact in that year. It is also worth noting that this award means that the artist gets a prize money of 25,000 pounds or $31,500 annually in order to compensate for the art that they give to society and motivate them to provide more of the same. It is worth noting that this year’s Turner Prize award ceremony was held earlier this month at Eastbourne in Southeast England and the Prize was awarded to Artist Jesse Darling.
CNN reports that “Darling is a 41-year-old Oxford-born, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, video, drawing and performance; he also released a collection of poetry, “Virgins,” last year. His Turner Prize-winning exhibition is an installation that places viewers in a custom-built environment evoking chaotic city streets and industrial barriers.”
As per the press release, Artist Jesse Darling’s art is described as “Barbed wire frames the entryway to a gallery space where anthropomorphized crowd-control fences stampede across the floor and climb the walls. Tattered patchwork Union Jack flags hang from bent and twisted poles and railroad tracks careen into a wall; unsettling props like crutches, dusty piles of ring binders and chunks of concrete are also placed throughout. The installation is made of both new and earlier works by the artist and “convey(s) a familiar yet delirious world”. “Invoking societal breakdown, his presentation unsettles perceived notions of labor, class, Britishness and power.”
It is worth noting that Darling was nominated for his solo exhibitions “No Medals, No Ribbons” at Modern Art Oxford and “Enclosures” at the Camden Art Centre. Also, CNN reports that “Last year’s prize was awarded to sculptor Veronica Ryan, and past honorees have included Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, Gilbert & George, Anish Kapoor, Wolfgang Tillmans and Steve McQueen”. Along with that, it is worth noting that the Turner Prize ceremony will be celebrating its 40th anniversary for its edition next year which will be extra special. Note that the Turner Prize is awarded to exemplary artists every year who are born or based in the UK.
