In a turn away from convention, this year’s Turner prize has been divided among ten “fantastic and exciting” artists, who will each receive a £10,000 bursary.
On Thursday, the Tate Britain announced the names of the cohort who will receive the cash award, following the abandonment of the competition as a result of Covid-19.
Director of Tate Britain, Alex Farquharson, who chaired the jury, said that the list reflected “the exceptional talent found in contemporary British art”.
Farquharson noted that the winners dealt with complex and topical problems across the world. “I’m sure one can give examples of humour and visual pleasure in there but yes, they are reflecting on very serious issues,” he said.
Perhaps most topical of all was the importance of caring for one another during the pandemic. “Obviously every artist and every practice is particular but I do think the idea of care came up a lot,” Farquharson said. “Care for oneself, care for a community one identifies with … sometimes in the face of hostility, or threat, or vulnerability.
“I think that theme of care, for each other, for oneself, in all kinds of different ways does resonate strongly with the current moment,” he continued.
While the prize has been cancelled this year, Farquharson believes that the role of the jury has been made far simpler by the pandemic, concluding that: “Usually that extra step of getting down from 10 to four is quite time-consuming and the most painful because you are dealing with artists whose work the jury feels the strongest allegiance to.”
