Following the Turner Prize this year, the shortlist was announced and I was very pleased to see highly political work highlighting this year’s competition. I, myself, can consider myself a political artist in a way: I have been touching on feminism, women’s right mainly, gender, sexuality, climate change, veganism, human rights. I focus on women’s rights as I feel close to the topic; females have always been the inferior group in society and that is starting to change with so many women speaking out loud about issues that we have to face simply because we identify as females.
Helen Cammock is an artist who is on the shortlist because she gives voice to the women who had experienced the Civil Rights Movement in Northen Ireland in 1968; she expresses her opinions through photography and text, print, video, performance art. I already strongly relate to Helen Cammock because of the way she expressed herself- I myself like to make use of photography and impactful text to create a fluid language for expression. I admire how she does not want to simply forget history, as it is something that will for ever shape the present in some way. The Civil Rights Movement is a strong conflict to speak about, it is emotional and very powerful- I am glad to see women working as artists that touch on topics such as this one.
Tai Shani is the second female artist on the shortlist this year, who uses performance, film, photography and sculptural installations as a way of presenting her work. Her on-going project ‘Dark Continent’ is an expanded adaptation of the book ‘City of Ladies’ ( Christine de Pizan, 1405) as she asks herself questions about feminism in an utopian city created by the bodies of women. What interests me is her use of literature to create characters that have monologue- I often use musical lyrics and book phrases in my work. More so, the city she creates is a city for anyone who wants to define themselves as feminine. I think society should think more about femininity and less about the biological gender of female, therefore her work resonates with me the most. She inspires me to be thoughtful and meaningful about my work!
Lawrence Abu Hamdan is a male artist and audio investigator, who, interestingly, explored the ‘politics of listening’ and the role of sound and voice within the law of human rights. Abu Hamdan creates spatial experiences through performances, audio archives, photography and text. His main inspiration for his exhibition is a prison called Saydnaya, in Syria, where detainees never see the prison; therefore, they associate sounds with visuals and the artist is communicating this idea through multiple devices. Violent experiences are associated with simple objects such as tea cups, eggs, popcorn. I feel very emotional towards his work as he exposes acoustic memory in a way no one every tried to do, telling the truth of hundreds of prisoners who all they know of is the walls surrounding them.
Oscar Murillo is a male artist who is on the shortlist for his great work of drawings, who he describes as ‘discharge of energy’. First of all, before I saw his work, I appreciated how much thought and emotion he poures into it and makes it obvious he does so. I think it is important that every artist works from the soul and sometimes mind. He uses drawing, video, painting, bookmaking to express how he emigrated from Colombia- he placed his focus on his biography. This I can strongly relate to as I have produced a timeline of my life and I did migrate from Romania- there is familiarity in his work.
Antony Gormley is a British sculptor now recognised worldwide, whose work is mainly exhibited at the Royal Academy. Whilst clicking away on the website as I research Gormley, I came across a piece named ‘Mother’s Pride’ ( it was a brand of white bread in the ’80s) and I found the process very unique and original. I have not heard of waxed bread used in sculpture to showcase human life, matter through the process of eating. It really had an impact on my way of thinking about 3D making- anything could be used and nothing is unconventional when it comes to creating. I tend to prefer to have ‘deep’ or at least some sort of meaning behind my work, just as Gormley as. As much as I appreciate any type of art, I feel as if a story or a meaning brings the art closer to us.
A contrasting sculptor to discuss is Olafur Eliasson, whose work is exhibited at Tate Modern and is based in Berlin, originally from Iceland. The exhibition at Tate Modern is called ‘In Real Life’, spanning 27 years of life. An interesting sculpture is The Spiral View, which challenges the way we view reality and learn how to not take for granted what we see. I believe it is beautifully constructed and I love nothing more than a piece of art that makes me think about reality at night before I go to sleep. Away from this exhibition, Eliasson encourages sustainability- a concept which every artist should have in mind whilst creating. His ‘Little Sun’ piece is a solar panel used as a charger. He used his art to supply access of energy in countries that need it, which I think is highly important- if there is a way you can use your art to help the ones in need, there is no reason why you shouldn’t! In my work, I plan to work with sustainable materials in the future, think more about the environment and the impact art can have on how mindful we are about it- and Eliasson is the artist that should inspire many others to do so.
