Jesse Darling, whose sculptures consist of everyday debris reflecting today’s political instability, won the 2023 Turner prize.
Oxford-born Darling was one of the favorites to take home the £25,000 prize. His sculptures of faded union jack bunting and metal pedestrian barriers were exhibited in two places: No Medals, No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford and Enclosures at the Camden Arts Centre.
Rapper Tinie Tempah presented the award to Darling, who was recognized by the jury for “conveying a familiar yet crazy world that evokes social collapse using ordinary objects and materials such as concrete, welded barriers, hazard tape, office files and sheer curtains.” its presentation challenges perceived notions of labour, class, Britishness and power.”
In her winner’s speech, Darling criticized Margaret Thatcher for removing the arts from schools because it was not “economically viable”. He said: “It paved the way for the greatest trick the Conservatives have ever played, which was to convince working people in Britain that work, self-expression and what was described as ‘culture’ in ad inserts were only for certain people from certain socio-economic backgrounds in Britain.” .-economic background. I just want to say, this is true for everyone.”
Darling then pulled a Palestinian flag from his pocket. Later, when asked why, the artist said: “Because there is a genocide and I wanted to say something about it on the BBC.”
Considered one of the art world’s most prestigious awards, the Turner prize is awarded to an artist born or working in Britain for an outstanding exhibition or presentation of their work over the previous year. This year’s ceremony was held at Towner Eastbourne as part of the institution’s centenary celebrations. There were four candidates whose work was thematically linked by the political turmoil affecting people’s lives in Britain in the wake of seismic events such as Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. It included sculpture, portraiture, video works and large-scale installations, and as usual the shortlist was the subject of controversy and ridicule in some quarters.
London-based Ghislaine Leung’s work – a repurposed ventilation system from a bar in Belgium – dominated its space, with massive vents and chimneys taking up much of the exhibition space at the Towner. The Guardian’s Adrian Searle said the work was “ridiculously meticulous”, while others found the work, which also featured a fountain, incredibly dull. The work of Bristol’s Rory Pilgrim also divided critics: one found it “often heartbreakingly beautiful”, while the other called it “cold and stilted”.
But there was near-universal praise for two favorites: eventual winner Darling and Barbara Walker.
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Walker, 58, from Handsworth, Birmingham, created portraits of Black Britons caught up in the Windrush scandal. Many of the people featured were interviewed by the Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman, who first broke the story. The jury praised Walker’s works, sometimes created on official forms and documents, as “portraits on a monumental scale that tell stories of a similarly monumental nature.”
The work of Darling, who now lives in Berlin, impressed the jury the most. They praised the artist’s ability to use materials “in a way that masterfully expresses the complex reality of life” and to reveal “the underlying fragility of the world.”
Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, who chaired the jury, said Darling’s work was a “state of the nation” speech with “timeliness, dynamism and courage that really grapples with the world” and had plenty of humour. work and you feel immersed in its world.”
Farquharson added that the work juggles themes of Brexit, nationality, identity, bureaucracy, immigration and austerity. “There is a sense of timing in all the work and in that sense I think this has been a really good year. “Everyone feels that moment in different ways.”
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Since its inception in 1984, the annual award has become notorious for its divisive nature, with critics often deriding entries that fall outside traditional practices such as painting or sculpture. Turner appears to have bounced back over the past few years, following a period of uncertainty in 2019 when there was no clear winner (the nominees shared the prize) and the award was canceled during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. 2020.
Last year’s winner, Veronica Ryan, won critical acclaim for her sculptures outside Hackney town hall, which, like Walker’s work, reference the Windrush Generation of Caribbean immigrants who made Britain their home in the post-war era.
In addition to Farquharson, the Turner Prize 2023 jury includes Martin Clark, director of the Camden Arts Centre; Cédric Fauq, chief curator of Capc musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux; Melanie Keen, director of the Wellcome Collection; and Helen Nisbet, artistic director of Arts Night.
Darling says she already has plans for how she plans to spend her prize money: “I’m going to get a new tooth put in, pay my rent, and buy drinks for my friends.”