DECEMBER 3, 2021
Array
Collective (Credit: Matt Alexander/PA Wire)
The Tate museum network in England named the Array Collective
the winner of the 2021 Turner Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious art
awards. This year’s edition of the prize marked the first time that its
shortlisted nominees were all groups—a shift away from the award’s decades-long
backing of individual artists since it was established in 1984.
For a society in which marches, murals, banners and symbols play a huge role, Array Collective wants to make the street theatre of Northern Ireland politics more cheerful and less combative.
The most important message of
Array Collective insist you must "have a laugh." In the often deeply
serious and self-important world of Turner modern art, it is a welcome
invitation to lighten up. In a community where street parades and street art
are all too often layered in sectarian meanings, Array wants to create new
events and symbols; and to subvert local mythology to cater to different
identities beyond the familiar divide. Above all, they're trying to create a
place to talk and disagree that is open, welcoming and good humoured.
Installation
of The Druithaib’s Ball, by Array Collective, The Turner Prize 2021 Exhibition.
(Credit: David Levene)
Prize-winning
artwork "The Druithaib's Ball" saw the collective recreate a
"síbín" - an illegal drinking den, or a "pub without permission,"
as the artists put it - to mark 100 years since the partition of Ireland.
Like
much of the group's previous work, the installation combined contemporary art
and historical folk imagery, with a circular arrangement of flag poles alluding
to ancient Irish ceremonial sites. Posters and photographs lined the walls,
while the pub's roof was decorated with banners containing messages including
"Stop Ruining Everything."
Named after British painter J.M.W. Turner and founded in
1984, the Turner Prize is awarded annually to a UK-based artist. They formed to
encourage wider interest in contemporary art and assist Tate in acquiring new
works. The prize focuses on their recent developments in British art rather
than a lifetime's achievement. Previous winners have included Damien Hirst,
Tracey Emin, sculptor Anish Kapoor and potter Grayson Perry.
Prev | [CRITIQUE] 이선영: 생태 미학으로 다시 읽은 배종헌의 작업 |
---|---|
Next | [NEWS] Ohio Museum reimburses Nez Perce Tribe $600,000 for artifact collection |
List |