Turner Prize and the art of losing friends

Published on Monday 4 October 2010 15:53

THE UK's most prestigious - and controversial - annual modern art award has launched amid protests by photographers and artists alike.

The launch of the Turner Prize at Tate Britain in central London yesterday was initially boycotted by photographers after they were asked to sign a form which said they could not publish any images or words which would "result in any adverse publicity" for the Tate.

There was also a separate protest outside the gallery by a group of artists, calling themselves The Stuckists, who said the shortlisted work was "pretentious and vacuous".

One of the contenders for the prize, described as "one of the most prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe", is a recording of three separate versions of a traditional folk song by Glasgow-born artist Susan Philipsz.

It is the first time a sound installation has been shortlisted.

The artist has recorded three versions of the song, which tells the tale of a man drowned at sea who returns to tell his lover of his death.

Curator Katherine Stout said it was a "very physical" work. She added: "It plays upon the otherwise emptiness of the gallery."

It is joined by other works including a painting of the scene where scientist David Kelly died, a collection of broken canvasses laid on top of each other and a series of films.

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Dexter Dalwood, Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group are the other artists in the running for the 25,000 main award.

The shortlisted artists will receive 5,000 each.

Also among the works on display are a coffin-like black box filled with old paintings and a series of televisions showing a 1989 Channel 4 series about the legacy of ancient Greece.

The two-hour stand-off with the photographers ended when the Tate allowed them to attend without signing the form.

The prize was set up in 1984 to "promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art" and is open to UK artists under the age of 50.

THE ARTISTS:

• Susan Philipsz, originally from Glasgow, lives and works in Berlin. She is best known for her sound installations.

• Angela de la Cruz, 45, was born in La Coruna, northern Spain, and lives in London. Her work is regarded as a fusion of painting, sculpture and installation.

• Named after the part of the inner ear that senses gravity and orientation, The Otolith Group was founded in 2002 by Kodwo Eshun, 44, and Anjalika Sagar, 42. Both were born and live in London. Their work aims to tackle broad themes such as science fiction, feminism, post-colonial discourse, and the space race.

• Dexter Dalwood lives and works in London. Originally from Bristol, he is a graduate of Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art. He paints imagined locations as portraits of famous individuals marking recent, seminal political events.