After Lubaina Himid stole all our hearts by winning the Turner Prize in 2017, and becoming the first black woman to pick up the award, we were eagerly awaiting this year’s shortlist of nominees. Last year they removed the age limit on the Turner Prize, opening it up to artists over the age of 50 — so which middle-aged art rebels were they going to nominate for the £25,000 prize this year? Well none, actually. The line-up exclusively features artists under the old age limit, with Naeem Mohaiemen, Forensic Architecture, Charlotte Prodger and Luke Willis Thompson all making the list.
The most noteworthy aspect connecting the artists this year is that they all make use of film within their artistic practice, and use their work to tell stories about politics. Forensic Architecture visualise issues relating to human rights abuses across the world (you can see an exhibition of their work right now at the ICA in London), Naeem Mohaiemen’s work explores postcolonial identities and utopian dreams, Charlotte Prodger’s films deal with queerness and landscape, and Luke Willis Thompson uses cinema and photography to create narratives around racism and violence.
An exhibition of work by the artists will be staged at Tate Britain from 25 September to 6 January 2019, with the winner being announced in December. In a statement Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, and head of the Turner Prize Jury said, “Following a thoughtful and rigorous debate, this year’s jury has chosen an outstanding group of artists, all of whom are tackling the most pressing political and humanitarian issues of today. This shortlist highlights how important the moving image has become in exploring these debates. We are looking forward to what will be a dynamic and absorbing exhibition.”
