As this year’s Northern Art Prize exhibition opened at Leeds Art Gallery for the first time in March rather than November, the private view attendees trudged in through snow wearing boots and thick coats.
“When we moved the date forward, we hoped it would be more spring-like,” said curator Sarah Brown. “But in the context of the programme at Leeds, it’s about trying to think in terms of seasons, trying to fit it in with what’s happening in the city; spring and autumn are when people think about new things. And I wanted to bring forward the announcement of the winner and give people a month after that to see the show. The gallery gets a half a million visitors a year, and 140,000 will visit the Northern Art Prize show.”
Founded in 2007, the Northern Art Prize asks twelve art professionals to nominate two artists for the prize, and the shortlist is then decided by a panel of judges. “The sole defining criteria is that they live in the north, so it’s totally open,” said Sarah Brown. “It’s totally transparent about how the artists are selected. Art is international, so ‘northern’ is just a geographical term, but it’s a real chance to see a snapshot of what’s deemed the best of the artists living and working in the region.”
Four shortlisted artists are contending for the first prize of £16,500. “My role as curator has been to look at what they’re doing and what they’ve done and open up the context of the gallery at Leeds to show new work,” said Sarah Brown. “All the artists are showing new work this year, which makes it more important and more substantial.”
Shortlisted artists
Emily Speed was nominated by Sally Tallant, Director, Liverpool Biennial. Her installation, Carapaces, playfully interrogates the ideas of inside and outside in architectural space and is inspired by the strangely-scaled buildings in the frescos of Italian Renaissance artist Giotto. “The outside is bare, so you’re drawn inside,” she said. “It wraps you up – but people can see you.”
Tallant also nominated Rosalind Nashashibi, who ten years ago won the Beck’s Futures prize. She is showing a collection of works including film, print works and new piece, A New Youth, which features a tree displaying a photograph of a crotch and a large cartoon of Mickey Mouse’s hands making a Buddha gesture. “It’s evolved into the space and this different moment in my life,” said Nashashibi.
Based in Newcastle, Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan were nominated by Gavin Wade, Director, Eastside Projects and Glasgow-based curator Kirsteen Macdonald. Their installation The Reiterative Grimace includes two large, brightly painted portals that frame the entrances to two galleries. “They appear to be quite fun – art should be accessible,” said Tatham. “But the fun is quite deceptive, because it’s all about playing with the history of architecture.”
Margaret Harrison was nominated by Kate Brindley, Director, mima. A leading feminist and political artist, Harrison’s issue-based work is in tune with a zeitgeisty spirit of community protest. One of Harrison’s exhibits is Common Reflections, a reconstruction and reinterpretation of the perimeter fence at Greenham Common that was originally shown in the 1980s, then revisited last year for the Berlin Biennale.
“When it went up in Berlin I wished I’d put up the mirrors at the back – the women at Greenham shone mirrors back into the base to reflect the people inside,” said Harrison. “People are interested in it now because issues are being reflected back through time. There’s more interest in political art again – it comes full circle. In the 1970s it was very difficult times and people were struggling. There was very little money for artists, so we thought we’d do what we wanted. And that’s happening again. It’s exciting.”
Northern Art Prize continues at Leeds Art Gallery until 16 June. The winner will be announced on 23 May. For details of artists’ talks and other events click here.
