Pro-Palestine protesters project the Gaza Biennale exhibition across the walls of Tate Britain
SHARE:
For centuries, art has been used as a form of protest – but artists and smaller arts organisations are getting caught in the storm.
Art critics and activists used the 40th anniversary of the prestigious Turner Prize ceremony to call on the Tate Museums to cut links with Israeli arts organisations and sponsors linked to the war in Gaza.
Protesters project protest art onto Tate
Khaled Husseyin’s ‘Missing You So Much’ was one of the works of art projected on the walls of the Tate Britain
On the night of the award ceremony at the Tate Britain, pro-Palestinian protesters projected the Gaza Biennale exhibition onto the museum’s outer walls in Pimlico.
A murky grey-black acrylic piece painted on canvas is amongst the collection of emotive oeuvres.
The piece depicts demolished houses, with an honest likeness to shadows of shattered windows, and receives gasps as slow claps move into cheers.
The work, titled ‘Devastation’ by Mo’taz Na’eem, was created earlier this year, in the Occupied Territories.
Campaigners shouted “shame!”, calling on the Tate to use its power as a cultural institution to support Palestinian rights, boycott large banks and IT companies that are supporting Israel, and divest from Israeli arts funds such as Outset Israel and the Zabludowicz Art Trust.
Historian and activist Barnaby Raine accused the Tate of “art-washing”, telling crowds: “It is a betrayal to turn music, literature, painting and sculpture into a mask to hide genocide.”
“As an artist, ask yourself, ‘What am I even creating if I am not naming oppression?'”
Nelly, United Voices of The World
One of the other speakers, Nelly, claimed she is probably “ruining her relationship” with the Tate by attending the event but that there are “consequences” to having morals.
In a small counter-protest gathered 100 feet away, Ita passionately tells City News that he is against the “failing” attempts from the boycott movement and the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, which he claims tries to “isolate” Jews and Israelis through “culture, cinema or arts.”
Winner expresses support for Palestinians in her speech
The winner of this year’s Turner Prize, Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur, used her acceptance speech to express support for the demonstrators:
“I want the separation between the expression of politics in the gallery and the practice of politics in life to disappear. I want the institution to understand: If you want us inside, you need to listen to us outside. Ceasefire now, arms embargo now, free Palestine.”
Laid upon the see-through, suspended ceiling of the Turner Gallery in Tate Britain, two half-empty bottles of Irn-Bru, turmeric-stained nails and political flyers are strewn in bright light.
The portrayal of everyday objects gives a glimpse into Kaur’s Glaswegian heritage; her Sikh upbringing and her cultural milieu: a family who ran a hardware and cash and carry store.
The ordinary yet meaningful items are met with a sequence of tinkling chimes from gesturing hands, a car sound system blasting Sufi music and the artist’s voice, resonating throughout the space.
A collection of thought-provoking exhibits with a sense of political belonging
This year’s nominees are certainly diverse, with all artists giving a nod to their heritage and identity. And the artwork is thought-provoking, with a clear cultural narrative and political belonging.
Delaine Le Bas: Incipit Vita Nova. Here Begins The New Life/A New Life Is Beginning. Exhibition, Secession Wien, Vienna, 30.6.–3.9.2023
Walking into the immersive and wholly uninhibited space, crafted by Delaine Le Bas, a British artist with a Romani background, I was filled with angst and also humour.
Turner Prize, 2024
The disturbing, painted drapes and fascinating, folk-like animal sculptures felt effectively childlike in their portrayal of grief. Le Bas says expressing grief through performance is “liberating”.
Turner Prize, 2024
I felt a sense of serendipitous joy as I approached Claudette Johnson’s large-scale portraits, showcasing sensitive oil-pastel sketches of black men and women who stood tall and unbothered.
In an accompanying video, Johnson states that her work is: “Giving space to the presence of a black woman”.
She seemed amused as she continued: “I don’t know if that’s got anywhere near it. It’s so hard to define”.
Pio Abad, another artist on the shortlist recreates his exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
An intriguing collection of sculptures, sketches, paintings, textiles and text offer counter-narratives in response to colonial artefacts found in museums.
So is the prize relevant anymore in 2024?
Ahead of this year’s ceremony, art critics and high-profile journalists questioned the relevance of the Turner Prize, which is awarded to a “British artist who has created an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.”
The Observer’s art critic Laura Cummings labelled the exhibition the most “insipid, issue-based, dutiful and conventional trudge of a show in years”.
An acclaimed UK artist and educator, who wished to remain anonymous, told City News the prize is a “pantomime”, not a prize for artists, but “for political gain.”
They claim this year’s shortlist is about “racial integration” and merely a “talking shop.” All four nominees on the shortlist are from racial or ethnic minorities, and three are women.
So where is the line between artwork with a political agenda and politics becoming the art?
Critics have pointed to the significant cuts in arts funding, combined with a cost of living crisis and worsening economic inequality in the UK reducing the opportunities for artists from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Turner Prize organisers appear keener to reflect changes in society and identity over the “shock of the new”, which previously saw Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’ and Martin Creed’s “Empty Room” win.
Mark Hudson at Plaster magazine wrote an article questioning if the Turner Prize should be “put out” of its misery but concluded that the sudden absence of this once “vital” institution would be a major loss.
The question remains – where is the line drawn between artistic technique and cultural and personal authenticity?
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineThe personal and the political: is the Turner Prize still reflective of today’s artistic world?
Short HeadlineIs the Turner Prize still reflective of today's artistic world?
StandfirstDoes the Turner Prize shortlist reflect exciting developments and techniques in art, or is it just "a talking shop"?
For centuries, art has been used as a form of protest – but artists and smaller arts organisations are getting caught in the storm.
Art critics and activists used the 40th anniversary of the prestigious Turner Prize ceremony to call on the Tate Museums to cut links with Israeli arts organisations and sponsors linked to the war in Gaza.
Protesters project protest art onto Tate
Khaled Husseyin’s ‘Missing You So Much’ was one of the works of art projected on the walls of the Tate Britain
On the night of the award ceremony at the Tate Britain, pro-Palestinian protesters projected the Gaza Biennale exhibition onto the museum’s outer walls in Pimlico.
A murky grey-black acrylic piece painted on canvas is amongst the collection of emotive oeuvres.
The piece depicts demolished houses, with an honest likeness to shadows of shattered windows, and receives gasps as slow claps move into cheers.
The work, titled ‘Devastation’ by Mo’taz Na’eem, was created earlier this year, in the Occupied Territories.
Campaigners shouted “shame!”, calling on the Tate to use its power as a cultural institution to support Palestinian rights, boycott large banks and IT companies that are supporting Israel, and divest from Israeli arts funds such as Outset Israel and the Zabludowicz Art Trust.
Historian and activist Barnaby Raine accused the Tate of “art-washing”, telling crowds: “It is a betrayal to turn music, literature, painting and sculpture into a mask to hide genocide.”
“As an artist, ask yourself, ‘What am I even creating if I am not naming oppression?'”
Nelly, United Voices of The World
One of the other speakers, Nelly, claimed she is probably “ruining her relationship” with the Tate by attending the event but that there are “consequences” to having morals.
In a small counter-protest gathered 100 feet away, Ita passionately tells City News that he is against the “failing” attempts from the boycott movement and the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, which he claims tries to “isolate” Jews and Israelis through “culture, cinema or arts.”
Winner expresses support for Palestinians in her speech
The winner of this year’s Turner Prize, Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur, used her acceptance speech to express support for the demonstrators:
“I want the separation between the expression of politics in the gallery and the practice of politics in life to disappear. I want the institution to understand: If you want us inside, you need to listen to us outside. Ceasefire now, arms embargo now, free Palestine.”
Laid upon the see-through, suspended ceiling of the Turner Gallery in Tate Britain, two half-empty bottles of Irn-Bru, turmeric-stained nails and political flyers are strewn in bright light.
The portrayal of everyday objects gives a glimpse into Kaur’s Glaswegian heritage; her Sikh upbringing and her cultural milieu: a family who ran a hardware and cash and carry store.
The ordinary yet meaningful items are met with a sequence of tinkling chimes from gesturing hands, a car sound system blasting Sufi music and the artist’s voice, resonating throughout the space.
A collection of thought-provoking exhibits with a sense of political belonging
This year’s nominees are certainly diverse, with all artists giving a nod to their heritage and identity. And the artwork is thought-provoking, with a clear cultural narrative and political belonging.
Delaine Le Bas: Incipit Vita Nova. Here Begins The New Life/A New Life Is Beginning. Exhibition, Secession Wien, Vienna, 30.6.–3.9.2023
Walking into the immersive and wholly uninhibited space, crafted by Delaine Le Bas, a British artist with a Romani background, I was filled with angst and also humour.
Turner Prize, 2024
The disturbing, painted drapes and fascinating, folk-like animal sculptures felt effectively childlike in their portrayal of grief. Le Bas says expressing grief through performance is “liberating”.
Turner Prize, 2024
I felt a sense of serendipitous joy as I approached Claudette Johnson’s large-scale portraits, showcasing sensitive oil-pastel sketches of black men and women who stood tall and unbothered.
In an accompanying video, Johnson states that her work is: “Giving space to the presence of a black woman”.
She seemed amused as she continued: “I don’t know if that’s got anywhere near it. It’s so hard to define”.
Pio Abad, another artist on the shortlist recreates his exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
An intriguing collection of sculptures, sketches, paintings, textiles and text offer counter-narratives in response to colonial artefacts found in museums.
So is the prize relevant anymore in 2024?
Ahead of this year’s ceremony, art critics and high-profile journalists questioned the relevance of the Turner Prize, which is awarded to a “British artist who has created an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.”
The Observer’s art critic Laura Cummings labelled the exhibition the most “insipid, issue-based, dutiful and conventional trudge of a show in years”.
An acclaimed UK artist and educator, who wished to remain anonymous, told City News the prize is a “pantomime”, not a prize for artists, but “for political gain.”
They claim this year’s shortlist is about “racial integration” and merely a “talking shop.” All four nominees on the shortlist are from racial or ethnic minorities, and three are women.
So where is the line between artwork with a political agenda and politics becoming the art?
Critics have pointed to the significant cuts in arts funding, combined with a cost of living crisis and worsening economic inequality in the UK reducing the opportunities for artists from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Turner Prize organisers appear keener to reflect changes in society and identity over the “shock of the new”, which previously saw Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’ and Martin Creed’s “Empty Room” win.
Mark Hudson at Plaster magazine wrote an article questioning if the Turner Prize should be “put out” of its misery but concluded that the sudden absence of this once “vital” institution would be a major loss.
The question remains – where is the line drawn between artistic technique and cultural and personal authenticity?
