Tate Britain Level 2
3 October 2006 – 14 January 2007
The Turner Prize 2006 has been awarded to Tomma Abts, it was announced at Tate Britain this evening. The £25,000 prize, sponsored by the makers of Gordon’s gin, was presented by Yoko Ono. With Gordon’s support this year’s prize fund is £40,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists. The event was broadcast live on Channel 4 News.
Tomma Abts was shortlisted for her solo exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland, and greengrassi, London. Abts’s densely worked canvases take shape through a gradual process of layering and bear the visible traces of their making. The jury admired the rigor and consistency of Abts’s painting, in which compelling images reveal their complexity slowly over time.
The jury stressed the strength of the exhibition at Tate Britain and wished to record their admiration for the outstanding presentations produced by all four artists.