Finalists for this year's Turner prize are 'artists' artists' says Tate

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2014 is the 30th anniversary year of Tate’s Turner Prize, established in 1984 to promote contemporary British art. It is an annual award to an artist under the age of 50 for an outstanding exhibition or presentation that has taken place in the 12 months prior to nomination. From a list of four finalists the winner receives £25,000, the other shortlisted artists receive £5,000.  

This year’s finalists are Duncan Campbell (b.1972), Ciara Phillips (b.1976), James Richards (b.1983), and Tris Vonna-Michell (b.1982).  Penelope Curtis, director of Tate Britain, stated that this year’s finalists are perhaps less well known to the wider public than in previous years. They are more artists’ artists, recognized in the art world for their talent, a contrast to previous nominations, which have included more widely known artists such as David Shrigley one of the finalists of last year’s Turner Prize held in Derry-Londonderry, or previous winners such as Gilbert & George (1986), Steve McQueen (1999), and Mark Wallinger (2007).

Duncan Campbell was born in Dublin. He studied at University of Ulster, Belfast before taking an MFA at Glasgow School of Art in 1998. He lives and works in Glasgow. He is nominated for his film presentation It for Others, a response to Alain Resnais and Chris Marker’s 1953 short film on African art and colonialism Statues also Die. It for Others was exhibited at the 55th Venice Biennale. It knits together authentic archive footage with film Campbell created himself. The artist mixes fact and fiction, focusing on actions and events of the recent past to question representations of history.

Ciara Phillips, an Irish Canadian, was born in Ottawa, Canada. She lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland where she completed an MFA at Glasgow School of Art in 2004. She is nominated for a solo exhibition ‘Workshop’, held at The Showroom, London. The artist is noted for her work in print, using textiles, screen-prints, and photographs in site-specific installations. Phillips works independently and in group collectives.

James Richards, born in Cardiff, studied at Chelsea School of Art, London. He graduated in Fine Art in 2006. He lives and works in Berlin.  Richards is nominated for his film Rosebud, part of ‘The Encyclopaedic Palace’ at the 55thVenice Biennale. His work fuses found and new material to focus on the act of looking, using soundtracks to manipulate original works.

Tris Vonna-Michel was born in Southend, Essex and graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2005. He lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden and in Southend. He has been nominated for his solo exhibiton Postscript II (Berlin), at Jan Moot, Brussels.  Vonna-Michel creates multi-layered narratives using live performances and recordings. Visual installations are intended to ‘confuse and enlighten in equal measure’.

Members of the Turner Prize jury for 2014 are Helen Legg, director, Spike Island, Bristol; Sarah McCrory, director, Glasgow International; Stefan Kalmar, executive director and curator at Artists’ Space, New York; and Dirk Snauwaert, artistic director, Wiels, Brussels. The jury is chaired by Penelope Curtis. The Turner Prize 2014 winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on 1 December, 2014.

An exhibition of the finalists’ work will be on display from 30 September 2014 to 4 January 2015 at Tate Britain, London. In contrast to last year’s free entry to see the Turner Prize nominees work in Derry-Londonderry, there will be an £11 entrance fee for visitors to this year’s display at Tate Britain.

Next year’s Turner Prize takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.