Thursday, Dec 05, 2024 04:15AM

Turner Prize 2018: Film-using art activists in the running

Turner Prize 2018: Film-using art activists in the running

BBC News :

Luke Willis Thompson’s silent portrait of the girlfriend of a US shooting victim is one work in contention.

He will compete against Forensic Architecture, a collective that uncovers and exhibits facts about crimes and rights abuses.

Charlotte Prodger, whose entries include a video shot on iPhones, and Naeem Mohaiemen are also nominated.

The winner of the £25,000 prize will be announced in London on Tuesday.

This year’s shortlist is dominated by artists who are tackling political and social issues.

Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson said the judges had chosen “an outstanding group of artists, all of whom are tackling the most pressing political and humanitarian issues of today.”

A 15-strong collective of architects, film-makers, software developers, journalists, lawyers and scientists, Forensic Architecture’s investigations and reconstructions have provided decisive evidence in cases in countries including Germany, Greece, Israel and Guatemala.

The fact they present their work in art galleries is subversive, says the BBC’s arts editor Will Gompertz, who calls the images and films they produce “arresting both in terms of the message and aesthetic”.

Naeem Mohaiemen

Born in London and raised in Bangladesh, Mohaiemen makes films that use turbulent periods in world history to focus on the legacies of colonialism, national identity, left-wing politics and migration.

His film Tripoli Cancelled was inspired by his father, while his other film, Two Meetings and a Funeral, was sparked by the lawyer who drafted the constitution of Bangladesh.

Charlotte Prodger

Glasgow-based Prodger is nominated for two videos. One, named Bridgit after the Neolithic deity, was shot on iPhones. The other traces a history of recent video formats and the artist’s personal history.

The jury, which Alex Farquharson chairs, praised her for “the nuanced way in which she deals with identity politics, particularly from a queer perspective.”

Luke Willis Thompson

The 30-year-old New Zealander makes silent black-and-white 16mm and 35mm films inspired by stop-and-search policies and killings.

His films include one made with Diamond Reynolds, who used Facebook to broadcast the aftermath of the fatal shooting of her partner, Philando Castile, by a police officer in 2016.

The four nominees’ work is being exhibited at Tate Britain in London until 6 January.

Lubaina Himid made history last year by becoming both the oldest winner of the Turner Prize and the first black woman to pick up the award.

Naeem Mohaiemen

Leave Comments