Laure Prouvost has won the Turner Prize 2013. Accepting the £25,000 award from actress Saoirse Ronan at the former military barracks in Derry-Londonderry which is hosting this year’s prize as part of its UK City of Culture celebrations, Prouvost was clearly overwhelmed by the announcement. She said: “I didn’t expect it at all – I was sure it would not be me. I feel totally adopted now by the UK.”
Prouvost, who was born in Lille, France and now lives and works in London, was nominated for her multimedia installation Wantee, which formed part of the exhibition Schwitters in Britain at Tate Britain, along with her two-part installation for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, Farfromwords. For the Turner Prize exhibition, she re-presented Wantee, which takes the form of a video displayed in a cluttered, dark room based on the house of the artist’s (fictional) grandfather. The work was co-commissioned by Grizedale Arts.
Reflecting on the work, Prouvost, who was accompanied on the prize podium by her two-month old daughter, added: “This was an incredible project – to be able create stories where fiction and reality get lost. And it’s wonderful that my grandfather is getting recognised now as a real artist.”
The jury for the 2013 Prize was: Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain (Chair); Annie Fletcher, Head of Exhibitions, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; Susanne Gaensheimer, Director of Frankfurt’s Museum of Modern Art; Declan Long, writer and lecturer at National College of Art and Design, Dublin; and Ralph Rugoff, Director of Hayward Gallery, London.
The Turner Prize is awarded annually to an artist under 50 living, working or born in Britain. Shortlisted artists Tino Sehgal, David Shrigley and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye each receives £5,000.
The Turner Prize continues at Ebrington, Derry-Londonderry until 5 January. www.turnerprize2013.org/
