Turner Prize 2015: Exhibition attracts 75,000 to Glasgow's Tramway

A RECORD number of people attended an exhibition of leading modern art in Glasgow.

A visitor views an exhibit titled Infrastruktur by Turner Prize 2015 nominee Nicole Wermers. Picture: PA

The Turner Prize show at the city’s Tramway venue attracted almost 75,000 visitors over the course of three months.

It featured work by the four exhibitors who were shortlisted for the prestigious prize, won last month by Assemble, a collective of artists, architects and designers who combined on a project to regenerate part of a housing estate in Liverpool.

The show, the first time the Turner Prize exhibition came to Scotland, ran from 1 October through to 17 January. Over the time, the venue in the Pollokshields area of the city broke its record visitor numbers for a single exhibition.

Its success was bolstered by other events across the city, which drew a further 15,000 people.

The figures have been widely welcomed by the Tate as well as the leader of Scotland’s largest local authority.

Judith Nesbitt, director of national and international programmes at the Tate, said: “We were delighted to work with colleagues at Tramway to present the Turner Prize 2015 in Scotland for the first time.

“The city of Glasgow has nurtured artists who have had a profound impact on contemporary art in Britain and internationally, and it has proved to be a natural home for the Turner Prize.

“The enthusiastic response and the number of visitors demonstrates the continuing public appetite to see and discuss contemporary art.”

Councillor Frank McAveety, the leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added: “Glasgow is Scotland’s cultural powerhouse and the response to hosting the Turner Prize has been phenomenal.

“The city is a global leader in creating, producing and presenting contemporary visual art and I want to thank the shortlisted artists, Tate and our partners for their efforts in attracting record attendances to Tramway.”

He added: “I am particularly pleased so many people, particularly young people, took part in our education and engagement programmes and I have no doubt that will help inspire the next generation of creative professionals.”

As well as Assemble’s entry, the show featured work by Bonnie Camplin, Janice Kerbel and Nicole Wermers.

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