Turner Prize 2016: sculpture dominates this year’s shortlist

The four nominees for the 2016 Turner Prize have been announced at a press launch at Tate Britain, London. They are: Michael Dean, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten and Josephine Pryde.

The four artists, three of which work with sculpture, were selected by a jury consisting of: Michelle Cotton, director Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn; Tamsin Dillon, curator; Beatrix Ruf, director, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Simon Wallis, director, The Hepworth Wakefield. The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain.

Michael Dean has been nominated for his recent solo exhibitions ‘Sic Glyphs’ at South London Gallery and ‘Qualities of Violence’ at de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam. He is best known for creating sculptures and installations that reuse everyday materials.

Anthea Hamilton also works with sculpture, alongside installation, performance and video. She has been nominated for her solo show, ‘Anthea Hamilton: Lichen! Libido! Chastity!’, at SculptureCentre, New York.

Helen Marten utilises found objects in her sculptures. She has been nominated for her project Lunar Nibs at the 56th Venice Biennale and her solo show, ‘Eucalyptus Let Us In’, at Green Naftali, New York.

Josephine Pryde works in photography and installation. She has been nominated for ‘lapses in Thinking By the person i Am’, her solo exhibition at CCA Wattis, San Francisco,

Commenting on the fact that three of the nominees work with sculpture, Dillon said: “Perhaps we are seeing a resurgence in the medium that is a reaction to the movement online and popularity of digital art over the last 20 years.”

Cotton added: “All these three artists work in other media. Primarily they work in a sculptural language but they are not limited to that medium.”

Dillon said that the selection of the artists was not based on the medium they work in. “It certainly wasn’t a conscious decision. But the popularity of different mediums does come in peaks and troughs.” Farquharson added: “I am sure we will see video again.”

An exhibition of the four artists’ work will take place at Tate Britain from 27 September 2016 to 8 January 2017. The winner will be announced in December at an awards ceremony that this year will be broadcast live on the BBC, the new broadcast partner for the prize.

The total Turner Prize award is £40,000, with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists.

Images:
1. Anthea Hamilton, Project for Door (After Gaetano Pesce), 2015, installation view, ‘Anthea Hamilton: Lichen! Libido! Chastity!’, SculptureCenter, 2015. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Kyle Knodell
2. Michael Dean, Installation view of ‘Sic Glyphs’, 2016, South London Gallery. Image courtesy of the artist, Herald St, London, Mendes Wood DM, Sao Paulo, Supportico Lopez, Berlin. Photo: Andy Keate
3. Josephine Pryde, installation view, lapses in Thinking By the person i Am 2015, Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco. Image courtesy of Josephine Pryde. Photo: Johnna Arnold
4. Helen Marten, LimpetApology(traffictenses), 2015, screen printing and painting on leather, suede, cotton, velvet; stained and sprayed Ash; folded steel; enamel paint on Balsa wood; airbrushed steel; magnets; inlaid Formica; Cherry. © The Artist, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London and Greene Naftali, New York. Photo: Annik Wetter, Geneva

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