Lubaina Himid, 2017. | Courtesy the Artist and Hollybush Gardens, Photo by Edmund Blok for Modern Art Oxford via Tate
TWO OF THE MOST INTERESTING PAINTERS working in Britain were recognized today. The shortlist for the Turner Prize was announced and Hurvin Anderson and Lubaina Himid are among the four artists selected for the coveted visual art award.
Established in 1984 by the Tate Museum to encourage wider interest in contemporary art, the Turner Prize is awarded annually to “an artist born, living or working in Britain, for an outstanding exhibition or public presentation of their work anywhere in the world in the previous year.”
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Anderson’s practice blends abstraction and figuration. His works are grounded in memory and history, and defined by his family experiences, British background, and Jamaican heritage. Culture Type published an interview with Anderson earlier this year, when his work was on view at Michael Werner Gallery in New York.
Anderson was recognized for the exhibitions “Dub Versions” at New Art Exchange in Nottingham and “Backdrop” at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada.
READ INTERVIEW with Hurvin Anderson on Culture Type
Himid first came to prominence during the Black Arts Movement in the UK. After practicing for more than four decades the arc of her career is finally being recognized. Her work appeared on the January 2017 cover of Frieze magazine and Himid got her first survey treatment this year with a pair of solo exhibitions that landed her on the Turner Prize shortlist.
Himid first came to prominence during the Black Arts Movement in the UK. After practicing for more than four decades the arc of her career is finally being recognized.
Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and raised in Britain, Himid is a professor of contemporary art at the University of Central Lancashire. Her nomination was based on two solo show, “Invisible Strategies” at Modern Art Oxford and “Navigation Charts” at Spike Island in Bristol, and her participation in the group exhibition “The Place is Here” at Nottingham Contemporary.
Hurvin Anderson. | Photo by Vanley Burke via Tate
TWO BLACK ARTISTS have previously won the Turner Prize—Chris Ofili (1998) and Steve McQueen (1999), the film director, producer and video artist. McQueen directed the Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave.” British-born Ofili, who currently lives and works in Trinidad, was the first black artist to be selected for the prize and was the first painter chosen since 1985. More recently, British painter Lynette-Yiadom Boakye made the shortlist in 2013.
New changes to the guidelines for the prize have influenced the shortlist and will play a role in who is ultimately chosen to win the prize. In addition to Anderson and Himid, Andrea Büttner, 43, and Rosalind Nashashibi, 45, who both work across a range of disciplines, made the 2017 shortlist.
Recent changes to the guidelines for the prize have influenced the shortlist and will play a role in who is ultimately chosen to win the prize.
Designed to identify emerging artists or recognize breakthrough moments, in 1991, an age limit of 50 was introduced. Both Anderson, 52, and Himid, 62, benefitted from the decision this year to lift the age restriction.
The prize includes an exhibition as well as a monetary reward of 25,000 pounds (more than $32,000) for the winner. The other shortlisted artists receive 5,000 pounds each.
Previously, the winner was judged on the presentation(s) for which they were nominated. Since 2016, the artist’s work in the Turner Prize exhibition will also be considered.
The Turner Prize exhibition is on view Sept. 26, 2017-Jan. 7, 2018 at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, UK. The winner will be announced Dec. 5. CT
BOOKSHELF
Michael Werner Gallery published a catalog to coincide with Hurvin Anderson’s “Foreign Body” exhibition. “Hurvin Anderson: Backdrop” accompanied the artist’s show at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. The large-format publication features page after page of full-bleed images and details of works, along with an interview with the artist conducted by fashion designer Duro Olowu. “Hurvin Anderson: Reporting Back” was published on the occasion of his survey exhibition at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham UK.
LUBAINA HIMID, “Le Rodeur: Exchange,” 2016 | Courtesy the artist & Hollybush Gardens via Modern Art Oxford
HURVIN ANDERSON, “Rootstock,” 2016 (acrylic and oil on canvas). | Courtesy Michael Werner Gallery
