Frankly I think they might as well cancel the whole ridiculous Turner Prize farce, once and for all..
This years finalists, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo, Tai Shani, and Lawrence Abu Hamdan, decided to make a political statement (whilst holding a 'Tories Out' sign), and asked the Turner Prize committee to award them all a joint prize, in some protest about the government. For some bizarre reason the committee capitulated, and they now all share the prize.
I have never heard of contestants in any competition actually telling the judges to whom they should award their prize.
As for the work itself, above is Helen Cammock's offering (The Long Note). The other three were almost as hapless.
Above is my own version of Ms Cammock's oeuvre (The Longer Note). Prizeworthy?
So, I am advising the committee to give up now, before you make even bigger fools of yourselves in 2020. The Turner Prize has run its course.
Good riddance!
The artists say they came together to make a stand against the toxic political climate. And the judges say they welcomed their decision. For me it must make the exhibition more interesting and rewarding experience for the visitor than just seeing the works of one winner.
ReplyDeleteYou mean, the more rubbish the better?
DeleteWho am I to judge? The Turner enjoys media attention. In Art there’s no such thing as bad publicity. I think I read one of the exhibits is a 90 minute video. Perhaps it’ll surface on YouTube the way these things do.
DeleteI was just thinking that being UK born I could take a stab at the next Turner. A donkey called Greta. Just need a stuffed donkey and some palm leaves. That’s because she has been offered one by a religious group for the final leg of her journey to Madrid. I shall call my exhibit The Second Coming. The 40,000 pounds prize money I’ll give to a donkey sanctuary. That should seal it.
DeleteIt sounds as if it would have as good a chance as anything; unless of course they take my advice.
DeleteThe works of all four finalists are always on show to the very end of the exhibition whether there is one winner or 4, Gwil.
DeleteThanks Rachel. I wasn’t aware of that.
DeleteYour version is definitely more colourful.
ReplyDeleteYes, hers is very drab; and no children's games either!
DeleteMy table would have been more interesting I would like to say. Turner loved competitions and was always up for a prize so the stand of the four was not in spirit of Turner himself.
ReplyDeleteAt least your table has flowers on it.
DeleteI an entering my dressing gown for next year's Turner Prize. I shall chuck it on the back of a chair and call it "Disrobing" - a powerful statement about exhausting natural resources and the spiritual aridity of modern society with a lurid and disturbing nod to bedroom antics in the gig economy. The Saatchi Gallery will surely purchase it for a bargain basement price of £1.3 million. I would be able to buy several new dressing gowns with that.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to battle it out with Gwil's Donkey! Your £1.3 million sounds cheap; check-out Maurizio Cattelan's Banana (taped to a wall) which recently sold for €150,000. The world's gone MAD!
DeleteI just saw that bit about the banana last night - unbelievable! I am convinced that most of these current "darlings" of the art world are just laughing all the way to the bank about the idiots who fall for these scams!
DeleteA number of years ago I took my 6 year old nephew with me to the art gallery - it was his first trip and he seemed really intent on taking it all in (once he got over the fact that there were no dinosaurs). At one point we ran into a tour guide who was speaking about a new modern art exhibit and he insisted on listening - even asked a question - much to general amusement. When we finally walked on I asked him what he'd thought about what he had just seen. His reply - "well, it was interesting Auntie Margie - but I wouldn't call it art!" - As they say, out of the mouths of babes!
The first proper exhibition I took my youngest to was of Kinetic Sculpture; lots of whirring and clanking, he loved it. The next sculpture show we went to really disappointed him; nothing did anything! Everything was static, and he didn't consider it sculpture at all.
DeleteAt an exhibition of up and coming modern artists some years ago I was feeling warm and took my jacket off and put it on a nail in a corner. Suddenly a guardian of the artworks on display cane rushing over. You can’t hang your coat there. It’s an exhibit. Of course I replied as if surprised; Exhibit? Oh I hadn’t realized this brush and shovel and this old chair and the nail in the wall were an actual exhibit (although I’d secretly suspected they were or might well be). It was a wind up on my part. But justified I think, even to this day.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a 'Fools-n-Orses' sketch. Good for you; it's probably what it deserved.
DeleteDo you think that in twenty years time 'art' will have gone in that direction?
DeleteI do sincerely hope not but whenever something like this arises I always think of people walking out of the first performance of 'The Rite of Spring' because it was 'too avante garde'. Your comments and Gwil's comment above do rather point in that direction and I don't want to sound like a killjoy but oh dear......