Turner Prize: the scandal as an effective way to promote contemporary art?
ARTinvestment.RU   28 марта 2009

ARTinvestment.RU presents the story of the main prize in the world of contemporary art

English Prize J. M. W. Turner (J. M. W. Turner), which is awarded each year, outstanding artists under 50 years old, is one of the main events of the art world. In 1990 this event has become so popular that some countries have decided to follow the example of Britain: for example, in France in 2000, the Prize was established by Marcel Duchamp (Marcel Duchamp). Recently, and Russia has a similar award in the field of contemporary art - Kandinsky Prize.

Turner Prize was established in 1984. It is awarded in early December in a building owned by a network of British Museum Tate. Each year, the chairman and four members of the jury chose four artists, who will fight for the award. The winner, whose name is announced at the awards ceremony, a famous personality, is 25 thousand pounds, as rivals get «Consolation Prize» of $ 5 thousand. From October to January at Tate Britain museum hosts an exhibition where you can see the work of the nominees. Claim the prize can only be those in the previous 12 months presented in any British museum or gallery interesting project.

Articles about the Turner Prize, many journalists and critics often use the term «shocking». His loud fame award earned it because of its winners and nominees in different years to become artists, provocateurs, various «-Anfal terribli» contemporary British art. In 1995 the prize was Damien Hurst (Damien Hirst), Chief «bad boy» art establishment. He presented to the jury installation cut in half carcasses of cows and a calf, floating in formaldehyde. Three years later, received the award to another kicker, the British artist of Nigerian descent Chris Ofili (Chris Ofili), which «decorated» his paintings elephant dung. Work nominantki 1999, Tracey Emin (Tracey Emin) and is looking uniform demarche - uncleared bed on which lie empty bottles, packs of cigarettes and other rubbish.

a long time the phrase «Turner Prize» associated with the «mafia», consisting of numerous proteges megakollektsionera Charles Saatchi (Charles Saatchi). As said laureatka Prize 2006 Thomma Abts (Tomma Abts), its time to meet with Chris Ofili, «in each list of nominees is someone whom you personally know». This «mafia», connected with arcades Joplin Jay (Jay Jopling) White Cube, has been named «Young British Artists». Turner Prize has had a decisive influence on the fate of these authors, became a symbol of modern art epatazhnogo.

But in the last few years does not justify the premium image of its scandalous. The same Thomma Abts provokatorshey really did not call. It creates small abstract canvases that will have fans retrofuturizma sweet nostalgia for the 1950-m. At the creation of paintings, which she calls a few German names, it takes several years. Such «serious» painters in the Turner Prize shortlistah come across very often, and even fewer are awarded. For example, the creator of «metaphysical» landscapes Peter Doig (Peter Doig), which, like Abts, his works will not be too shocked and did not suffer excessive fecundity, was nominated in 1994 but did not receive an award - the jury in baluet those representing video and installation. In 2005, mainly «scandal» was the inclusion in the shortlist artist Gillian Carnegie (Gillian Carnegie), who writes the conventional still lifes, landscapes, and nudity. In recent years, the scandals surrounding the awards were now such, «subdued», - is not something that a decade earlier. Last year, the Turner Prize do not marred by any scandal: critics called the work of all the nominees are too boring, anemic, and academic. All artists included in the so-called «Euro-Art» (in the words of The Daily Telegraph critic Richard Dormenta (Richard Dorment)), «Art is not for the public, and for curators», the main idea of which is the absence of any clear ideas, and whose sole task is to fill the pavilions of international biennale. became the sole owner of the awards a man on the list of nominees, Mark Leckie (Mark Leckey) , whose work apparently the jury thought the least boring. In general, in 2008, all the attention of journalists writing about the art focused on Belyayeva-Gintovt, will be awarded Kandinsky . They say that the Turner Prize has ceased to be such a big «holiday» because of the change of chairman of the jury. For many years it was led by the head of the network Tate, Sir Nicholas Serota (Nicholas Serota), which appeared Museum Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St. Ives, but in 2007 was replaced by director of Liverpool «branch» Gryunenberg Christoph (Christoph Grunenberg), and 2008-m - head of Tate Britain Stephen Dyushar (Stephen Deuchar). Before Seroty chairman of the jury was the head of the gallery Tate (now Tate Britain) Bauness Alan (Alan Bowness).

Scandals accompanied Turner Prize from the beginning. When the award soon, no age restrictions for nominees was not. It was anticipated that the prize will be «for his contribution to British art». But the laureate was the painter Malcolm Morley (Malcolm Morley), who lived in New York, «invested» ideas in American art and in the UK for 26 years, almost did not appear. The decision of the jury criticized many people, including Minister of Culture of Gauri, Lord Gray (Grey Gowrie), who presented the award. In the next two years, all was well, quite calmly, awards were classic British post-war art: in 1985 - Howard Hodgkin (Howard Hodgkin), and 1986-m - Gilbert and George (Gilbert & George). Before the 1991 was introduced «age», nominated for an award many grants of contemporary art, including Lusien Freud (Lucian Freud), Jarmo Derek (Derek Jarman) and the group Art & Language. In 1987 occurred a «revolution»: the award was not «live classic», once and for all the tables listed in the history of art, but it is a current artist, representative of the movement «New British Sculpture» Richard Deacon (Richard Deacon). As neoekspressionizm, «New British Sculpture» emerged in the early 1980's as a reaction to minimalism and conceptualism. «Visiting card» representatives of this movement were fantastic objects from traditional and unconventional materials, often affecting their enormous size. Turner Prize awarded three more «new British sculptor»: in 1989, became the winner of Tony Kregg (Tony Cragg), in 1991 - Anish Kapoor (Anish Kapoor), and in 1994 - Antony Gormley (Antony Gormley). Two of the latter, no doubt, are the most famous sculptors in the country. Their huge success is largely linked to the increased interest in the Turner Prize, awarding that just a year of victory Kapoor was broadcast on television.

TV plays in the history of the Turner Prize a crucial role. As they say, «it would not be blessing in disguise». In 1989 the award was the creator of works of «Land Art» Richard Long (Richard Long), and in 1990 the prize is not awarded - investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert, speaking the main sponsor of the exhibition, went bankrupt. It seemed that the prize came to an end. But next year, the arena has a British television channel Channel 4 in which the prize fund has grown twice (in the 1980's it was 10 thousand pounds) and was the award ceremony broadcast live. So the Turner Prize has become a national sport the UK. You just «Young British Artists» podospeli. In 1991, Anish Kapoor was the only nominee is not a member of this group: the others - Yen Davenport (Ian Davenport), Fayona Ray (Fiona Rae) Uaytred and Rachel (Rachel Whiteread) - belonged to a «band» Demiena Hirst. Sam Hurst went into the shortlist in 1992, along with three of your friends, one of which, the sculptor Grenvill Davy (Grenville Davey), and eventually won an award. Davy, perhaps, is the unknown owner of the award. When he won, the newspaper exercised to wit: «Grenvill who? ..» Victory of the many artists associated with the reluctance of members of the jury to accept the new realities of the British art: the work of Davy, though he and fellow Hirst, resemble «New British sculpture», as rabid neokontseptualizm «Young British Artists». Davy inspired works by Richard Deacon and Tony Kregga; it, like all «new artists», represented by Gallery Logsdeyla Nicholas (Nicholas Logsdail) Lisson Gallery. But next year, «all came into place» and the jury finally acknowledged «the young shoots»: premium received Uaytred Rachel, who presented a great deal of work in the form of copies at home. She became the first woman awarded. Around her «home» ran public debate: the sculpture was installed in a residential quarter, half the people who sought to destroy it, the other half - to leave. In the same year he received Uaytred «anti-Turner Prize», which set up mischief in the group KLF, Bill Drummond (Bill Drummond), and Kochi, Jimmy (Jimmy Cauty). They threatened to Uaytred if its refusal to award (40 thousand pounds - twice as much as the Turner Prize) to burn the money in her eyes. The artist has taken a very good decision to take these 40 thousand, and donate them to charity.

Thanks to the Turner Prize of the debate, «the art of it or did not», took an unprecedented scale. Nominated for the prize were taken as edakie gladiators, who, as participants in reality shows, «klyuyut» from all sides. Many famous artists such as Julian Opay (Julian Opie), rejected the nomination - too much public pressure. In 1997, the winner was the Uering Gillian (Gillian Wearing), presented the «60 minutes of silence», in which the actors in costumes of police for an hour standing and looking at the camera. In this case, the TV debates were held, which was invited to Tracey Emin. «Participation» in television has brought her fame - dubious, but the entire country: Emin said the studio is drunk, call names all the bad words, then declared that he wanted to mom, and left. Two years later, there was a scandal with uncleared bed because of which many people mistakenly believe that Emin won a prize. In fact, the winner in 1999 was the videohudozhnik Steve McQueen (Steve McQueen) - second, followed by Chris Ofili, blackamoor laureate.

Turner Prize Public discontent has reached its climax when in 2001 it became the owner of kontseptualist Krid Martin (Martin Creed). His installation consists of totally empty room, which at regular intervals on and off the light. Two years later, the winner was chosen, transvestite potter Grayson Perry (Grayson Perry), came to receive the award in the pink dress. In the same 2003, the award nominated brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman (Jake & Dinos Chapman), known for their incredibly brutal and shocking installations. In general, «all the sisters - the earrings», and all the trouble - for the nomination, and even on the award. But last year, in connection with the «exsanguine» works of the nominees, many began to wonder: what if the «Golden Age» Turner Prize is behind us? What if the withdrawal of Nicolas Seroty from the chairman of the jury was a brainchild of his immersion in the dark waters «Euro-Art »?..

The word «child» used here is no accident: though Serota not think of a prize, he held her «rebrending», drew public attention to it. Today's mega modern art - this is very much his credit. Shows the nominees for the Turner Prize attracts many people who become seen cause for heated debates on the theme «who should win and why». In trying to formulate answers to these questions, people are thinking about what art they like, what they expect from contemporary artists and the role these artists play in society. Even the most high-risk installations, such as «a room with lights» Martin Krida can give the audience an incentive to learn more about why this is such an art, and get acquainted with the theories of classical conceptualism and minimalism. Of course, many works of the nominees (the same «bed» Tracey Emin) deter people its cheap bizarre and inspire a false belief that the goal of all modern artists - shock and epatazh, but they stimulate a discussion about what is art and taste that from the standpoint of morality can be shown in cultural institutions, and what does not. Besides the Turner Prize overlooked entirely too sinister representatives of the current «Art», which record video to the killing of animals and offer to exhibit in the galleries of people dying.

Thanks to the popularity of the Turner Prize of novice authors over the past fifteen years, greatly increased. Parents see that the profession of an artist can bring fame, glory and money, and increasingly send their offspring to specialized schools and art studio. According to Chris Ofili, to the appropriate people and often say that they will be helping their children if they decide to become artists. Holder of Award in 2005, Simon Starling (Simon Starling) reported that fans often send him their poems and videos.

Career of an absolute majority of the holders of the Turner Prize has very successfully. Perhaps only the Grenville Davy now do not hear anything - he chose the madness of art-world calm career university professors. Many winners have made a truly great success. For example, Damien Hurst is now ranked among the most expensive works of living artists . Last year, ArtReview magazine put it in the first place in the list of most influential people in the world of art . Once Hurst was honored, even to decorate London enormous sculpture of a pregnant woman half grazed the skin.

large-scale art projects can boast not only Hurst. In 1998 the town was established Geytshed huge statue «Angel of the North», created by Antony Gormley. First over her humiliated, but he used and even loved, and now the winged statue is one of the main sights of the region. Last year it was announced that Britain will in five districts of England will be huge construction, designed Anishem Kapuro . And in February it was reported that the city Ebbsflit a 50-meter sculpture of a white horse, which will create the owner of the Turner Prize in 2007 Uollinger Mark (Mark Wallinger). He became the winners of the project «the angel of the South», which was attended by other Ternerovskie winners - Rachel Uaytred and Richard Deacon. In 2005, Uaytred received at its disposal one of the main exhibition spaces of the United Kingdom - Turbine Hall of Tate Modern. Three years earlier the same honor awarded Anish Kapoor.

Britain is proud of its heroes - many of the winners and the Turner Prize nominees represented the country at the Venice Biennale. Among those who won this honor - Tony Kregg, Anish Kapoor, Mark Uollinger, Rachel Uaytred, Chris Ofili and Tracey Emin. In 2009, the British pavilion will embellish the work of Steve McQueen. Last year came his first feature-length film «Hunger», which has become one of the main kinosobyty year. McQueen even got «Golden Chamber» Cannes Film Festival.

The fact of the existence of the Turner Prize is an impact on the creativity of young artists. Now anyone with a graduate of the English artistic institution knows what is possible, even the most incredible projects. According to Howard Hodgkin, will be awarded in 1985, artists such as Antony Gormley, a «product» of public consciousness, accustomed to the fact that the arts - is ambitious, it is «cool», that «all». As well as the «star» Architects, «star» artists are supported by the authorities and have access to considerable financial resources. Now the artist can transform the image of a city, as did his Gormley «angel of the North». But the popularity of the Prize and its laureates may have a negative impact on the creativity of young writers who are beginning to see for himself only one way - neokontseptualizm scare, which, as noted by Hodgkin became «a new kind of official art». Such a «soft totalitarianism» hinders young artists to understand that they are indeed the most suitable. The result - a huge number of mediocre «conceptual art» of the young and not so authors who could really do freely, if not under the standard.

Material prepared Yulia Maksimova

Sources: guardian.co. uk , telegraph.co.uk , artinvestment . ru