Turner Prize 2009

Turner Prize 2009

28 April, 2009
by: Tom Jeffreys

Turner Prize shortlist time again. Do people still care? Well, one imagines the artists selected are probably pretty chuffed, and of course the Stuckists have weighed in with their typically forthright opinions. I just received an email from Charles Thomson – co-founder of Stuckism – outlining his views on this year’s Turner Prize, and unsurprisingly he’s none too impressed. There’s a certain irony, I think, in noting that, were it not for the vociferous criticism of this worldwide group of figurative painters, even fewer would take any notice of the annual storm in a teacup that is the Turner Prize.

My predictions for the Turner Prize 2008 were rather wide of the mark, but it’s all part of the fun. So here’s the lowdown on this year’s shortlist.

Enrico David
Born in Italy, Enrico David studied at Central St Martins before settling in London. His works - which often involve traditional craft techniques - combine the worlds of art and fashion. Slim and elegant silhouettes in dark tones are superimposed upon brightly coloured backgrounds to lend a sense of sleek but peculiar glamour.

Most likely to: appease the traditionalists (a bit)

Lucy Skaer
Skaer is a Glasgow-based conceptual artist who specialises in unusual interventions in the public sphere. She once, for example, secretly hid moth and butterfly pupae in criminal courts in the hope that they would hatch during a trial. Pointless? Maybe.

Most likely to: baffle the old guard


Roger Hiorns, 'Seizure' 2008

Richard Wright
Wright is best-known for painting and drawing directly onto the wall of the gallery in which he is exhibiting. His work is characterised by a combination of swirlingly complex abstract patterning and a dash of Op Art funny business.

Most likely to: give you a headache

Roger Hiorns
In 2008, Hiorns turned a drab South London flat into a mesmerising sparkly cavern, filled with blue crystals. He also had a solo show at Corvi-Mora for which he presented a single work, consisting of a Jumbo Jet engine ground down into powder. Hmm...conceptual

Most likely to: win?


So, there we have it. Let's hope these predictions are a bit more accurate than last year's!

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Tom Jeffreys