Tate today announced the four artists who have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2001, sponsored by Channel 4. The artists are:
Richard Billingham for his solo exhibition at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, and for his contributions to The Sleep of Reason at the Norwich Gallery and to Body Beautiful at Galerie Jennifer Flay, Nice, in which he showed the extension of his work into video and a poignant return to places of childhood memory in his recent photographs.
Martin Creed for Martin Creed Works, organised by Southampton City Art Gallery and shown at Leeds City Art Gallery, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, and Camden Arts Centre, London and Art Now: Martin Creed, Tate Britain, London, in which he reaffirmed the rigour and purity of his work and its characteristic mixture of seriousness and humour.
Isaac Julien for his exhibitions at Cornerhouse, Manchester, the South London Gallery and Victoria Miro Gallery, London in collaboration with Film and Video Umbrella, of his films, which combine theoretical sophistication with lush sensuality, intelligence, wit and emotional complexity.
Mike Nelson for his contribution to the British Art Show, National Touring Exhibitions, which exemplified the haunting resonance of his installation works, in which he creates places that suggest a sense of threat, danger, or life on the edge.
The Turner Prize is awarded to a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding 24 May 2001. The Prize was established in 1984 by Tate’s Patrons of New Art and is intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art. It is widely recognised as one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe.
Work by the shortlisted artists will be shown in an exhibition at Tate Britain from 7 November 2001 - 20 January 2002. The winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced at Tate Britain on 9 December 2001 during a live broadcast by Channel 4.
The members of the Turner Prize 2001 Jury are: Patricia Bickers, Editor, Art Monthly; Stuart Evans, representative of the Patrons of New Art; Robert Storr, Senior Curator, Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Jonathan Watkins, Director, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate and Chairman of the Jury.
An extensive events programme of discussions and talks will be been organised at Tate Britain and other galleries throughout the UK. Information on the Turner Prize and associated events is available in the Tate Turner Prize FAQs and and the Channel 4 website.