THE artist Luke Fowler is the latest Scottish name to be short-listed for the prestigious, and controversial, Turner Prize.
Continuing the remark-able success of Scottish and in particular Glasgow artists in the £40,000 annual prize, Fowler's appearance on the short-list, alongside Spartacus Chetwynd, Paul Noble and Elizabeth Price, further cements the city's reputation as the second city of visual art in the UK behind London, and perhaps the third-most important arts centre in Europe beyond Berlin and the English capital.
If Fowler, born in Glasgow in 1978 and trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee (DJCAD), wins he will be the fourth Scottish artist in a row and the seventh in total, after Martin Boyce last year, Richard Wright in 2009 and Susan Philipsz in 2010 while Douglas Gordon won in 1996, Martin Creed won in 2001 and the then-Glasgow based Simon Starling won in 2005.
Last night Fowler said: "I am thrilled to be nominated within such a strong group of artists."
Fowler has been short-listed for his solo exhibition at Inverleith House, which is maintained and staffed by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh, and his film exploring the life and work of Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing.
A spokesman for the Royal Botanical Gardens said: "We are delighted that Luke Fowler has been short-listed for this year's Turner Prize for his exhibition at Inverleith House. Luke's exhibition appealed to a broad spectrum of visitors and his film All Divided Selves (2011) – the final film in Fowler's Trilogy on the psychiatrist RD Laing, which received its first UK exhibition screening here, is a deeply moving and profound work of art."
Fowler graduated with a degree in Fine Art in 2000, having specialised in printmaking during his time at DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee.
He has already won a number of awards, including the Donald Dewar Prize (2004), Derek Jarman Award (2008), Contemporary Art Society Annual Award (2010) and Paul Hamlyn Award (2010).
The Turner Prize award is worth £40,000 in total, with £25,000 going to the winner and £5000 each for the other short-listed artists.
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