The Tate Britain gallery in London is hosting a display of work by the four artists shortlisted for this year’s Turner Prize, one of the major UK arts awards and one which normally stirs up a lot of debate over what actually constitutes art with some people loving the innovation while others say it is money for old rope (although I’m surprised none of the artists involved have actually simply produced an installation with a pair of old sailors unknotting old rope and being given cash for it). Whatever your view in the individual entries each year or the actual award itself, at least it gets people talking about the visual arts. Although I am slightly disappointed none of the nominees took up my suggestion of a sculpture created from laminating Damien Hirst and hanging the result over a public loo (I called it Homage to Duchamp With Added Dollar Value). This year’s nominees include Mark Leckey, who often includes popular culture iconography into his work, such as Felix the Cat. The BBC site has more and you can also check the Tate website.
(Mark Leckey’s Felix gets broadcasted)
In related art award news I’d like to announce the Turnip Prize for the best use of vegetables in a piece of visual art. Sadly it doesn’t carry a large monetary award like the Turner, but if anyone has a visually interesting piece of work involving veg, let’s see it – it would be interesting to compare to the Turner nominees and see if the veg-art is more interesting. Yes, I am joking – well, sort of…
September 30th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Do you want to give it a rest with the Daily Mail/”Contemporary Art is Rubbish” posts – it’s ruining an otherwise excellent blog.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I agree with Nathan – it does seem that you are operating a double standard Joe. You, of course, are welcome to your opinion – but the Turner prize is almost to easy a target. Much of the criticism is coming from people who can only see art in representational terms – and probably informed by old master representational terms at that. Which I think goes against how ‘lenient’ and supportive you are to a lot of ‘small press’ or even mainstream comics art which is simply bad (my opinion this time). Leave the commercial aspect of modern art aside and in the end it’s all people creating art. All of them – no matter how much we don’t get it – or actually just hate it – and it’s OK to hate art – I HATE a lot of comics art – are trying to make art.