Controversy, outrage, ego, ennui: yes, the shortlist for this year's Turner Prize has been announced amid the usual salvo of yawns and scorn. In previous years, the judges seem to have believed that art is only interesting if it is controversial: that without red-top outrage, the Tate's biggest PR event of the year would be wasted.
Last year, however, even the Stuckists couldn't be bothered to demonstrate, citing the 'lameness' of the show. And this year looks set to continue in that unconfrontational vein: perhaps, finally, the Turner Prize has got over its own self-perpetuating hype and is developing into something calmer and more considered. And perhaps that's symptomatic of the art world as a whole.
So who is on this year's shortlist? And what have they done to deserve it?
First up, Bangladeshi-born artist Runa Islam presents multiscreen video installations that often reference
well-known cinematic works. One particular piece is effectively a
re-enactment of that scene in the car park in Get Carter.
Most likely to: be unfairly overlooked
Mark Leckey sees himself as something of a modern-day dandy and is probably the
most adept at self-promotion: he is, for example, the only one of the
four to have a myspace. His works combine sculpture, film and
performance and are packed with pop culture references, like the
Simpsons, Felix the Cat and Titanic.
Most likely to: try and do something controversial
Cathy Wilkes has been shortlisted for her solo show at Milton Keynes Gallery, which
featured her most well-known work, an installation influenced by a
Sickert painting and featuring a shop mannequin with a bowl of porridge
at its feet. The use of mannequins gives her work a kind of cold, dead,
fetishistically futuristic vibe.
Most likely to: cause a stir
Goshka Macuga's
works take the form of curated installations made up of a variety of
objects, often including works by other artists. This appropriation of
another's creativity leaves one open to accusations of laziness or a
lack of individual originality. But what these works do is to open up
points of enquiry around the boundaries between the artist and the
curator, the museum and the gallery. Macuga examines what it means to
'produce' and what it means to be 'new'.
Most likely to: win
So, those are Spoonfed's predictions for the Turner Prize 2008. As ever
it's a bit of a lottery trying to second guess the judges, but you can
see all the works for yourself from the end of September at Tate Britain. It's one of the major events for even the casual art fan, so head down to see what the all the (lack of) fuss is about.
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