The winner of the second edition of the Hepworth Prize for Sculpture has been announced as London-based Welsh artist Cerith Wyn Evans, who will receive £30,000 in prize money.
His winning piece, Composition For 37 Flutes, is a giant instrument made of 37 crystal glass pipes, arranged in two overlapping, hanging arcs, that emit a low humming sound.
Initially known as an experimental filmmaker and collaborator across artistic disciplines, including dance and performance, Evans’ sculptural works reference art, history, philosophy and science ‘in order to transform our perception of the world around us’.
The shortlist for the prize also included Michael Dean, Mona Hatoum, Phillip Lai and Magali Reus.
Evans was selected by a panel of judges that included Sarah Brown (senior curator, Leeds Art Gallery), Martin Clark (director, Camden Arts Centre), Margot Heller OBE (director, South London Gallery) and Helen Legg (director of Tate Liverpool). It was chaired by Simon Wallis OBE, director of The Hepworth Wakefield.
Wallis said: “Cerith has been a hugely influential artist for over 30 years, and his recent work has been truly exceptional, extending the possibilities of what sculpture can be.
“The judges thought that the work he has made at The Hepworth Wakefield exemplifies this through its sensitivity to the site, integrating ephemeral and elemental forces to powerful emotional effect.”
The biennial prize is designed to recognise a British or UK-based artist of any age, at any stage in their career, who has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary sculpture. Its inaugural winner in 2016 was Helen Marten, who went on to win the Turner Prize later that year.
In addition to the main prize, visitors to the exhibition are invited to share their own thoughts and choose their winner on The Hepworth Wakefield’s website hepworthwakefield.org/prize/. The ‘people’s choice’ will be announced towards the end of the exhibition in January 2019.
The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture exhibition, which features work by all the shortlisted artists, is on display at The Hepworth Wakefield until 20 January 2019
Images:
1. A visitor stands under Cerith Wyn Evans’ Composition for 37 flutes on display as part of The Hepworth Prize For Sculpture 26 October 2018 – 20 January 2019. Photo: David Lindsay
2. Installation shot of Cerith Wyn Evans in The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture 2018. 26 October 2018 – 20 January 2019. Photo: Stuart Whipps
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