The Turner Prize show for 2013 was shown to the press this morning.
Speaking to Glasgow-based artist David Shrigley here at the former barracks of Ebrington in Derry/Londonderry, which hosts the Turner short list, he expressed discomfort at the "competition" element of the prize, with four artist's work shown together for this show, and a winner picked later this year.
His discomfort, he said, was shared by the three other artists in the show: Laure Prouvost, Tino Sehgal, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. It is something artists (notably Karla Black) have said before.
One wonders how a prize which has a short list, and then a winner chosen from that short list, could be otherwise arranged.
This must be one of the most participatory Turner Prize shows yet: you can be paid £2 for your thoughts in Tino Sehgal's work, This Is Exchange, and also spend some quiet time drawing Shrigley's life model. Laure Prouvost's installation/film room is equally immersive, with the feeling of a darkened tea parlour.
I am not a betting man, and although Sehgal has already won a significant prize at the Venice Biennale this year, and is apparently favoured to win, my money would be on the paintings of Yiadom-Boakye or, perhaps, Ms Prouvost, whose show is the most aesthetically enjoyable, from this point of view.
However, the future of the venue, the former British Army barracks, is up in the air. Right now it is an excellent gallery with good facilities (I am writing this from its good cafe with its super fast wifi) but there is talk, after Derry's year as UK City of Culture comes to an end, of it being made into offices. What a shame that would be.
Officials here point to central government and enterprise bodies, saying ultimately its fate is the decision of Northern Ireland government and Ilex, the urban regeneration company in Derry. The word 'legacy' is often banded around with events such as the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and festival years, the closure of these state of the art galleries would not be a great legacy for Derry.
Which made me think of Dundee. Dundee, of course, is on the short list for UK City of Culture. Long term legacy, and how Dundee will plan that, will obviously be a key part of its bid. There should be no ambiguity over the use and future use of major venues, as there is here.
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