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The National
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Turner Prize shortlist includes Iraqi artist Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa's work at Sharjah Biennial
The shortlist for this year's Turner Prize has significant regional representation, with an artist from Iraq and work from the Sharjah Biennial both nominated for the prestigious award. Mohammed Sami has been shortlisted for After the Storm, his solo exhibition at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. The Iraqi painter is known for his sprawling, vibrant scenes that are often devoid of human presence. His depictions of empty dining tables and bedrooms serve as poignant representations of exile, showing how everyday objects trigger memories and feelings of loss. His work springs from his own experiences as a refugee. After the Storm ran at Blenheim Palace between July and October 2024. Sami produced a new series of works for his solo exhibition, blending personal history with that of Blenheim Palace, which was built in the early 18th century. The castle was presented by Queen Anne to the First Duke of Marlborough after this victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and was where Winston Churchill was born. As such, the castle is a monument to military triumph. The castle is filled with portraits and narrative artworks, themes contrasted in Sami's work, which allude to absence and the consequences of war. A presentation from the 2025 Sharjah Biennial has also been nominated for the Turner Prize. The work was created by Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa, in collaboration with Spanish artist Benito Mayor Vallejo. It features several disparate elements, including a chandelier-like piece that takes cues from wind chimes made from seashells and rattles from Korean shamanic traditions. It comprises more than 1,000 brass bells that are arranged in the shape of a conch shell. The artwork is part of a room-filling installation called Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything. One of the highlights is a mixed-media artwork that features a surreal scene that visualises the title of the presentation, with whales swimming atop an arid landscape. Other shortlisted artists include Scottish multimedia artist Nnena Kalu, who has been nominated for her installations at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and Manifesta 15 in Barcelona. The vibrant sculptures are made of disparate materials, including paper, textiles, cellophane and tape. Finally, Rene Matic is in the running for As Opposed to The Truth, a solo exhibition at CCA Berlin. The exhibition by the UK artist presents personal photographs alongside installations and sound. Works by all four shortlisted artists will be presented in an exhibition at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford from September 27 to February 22. The winner of the annual prize will be announced during a ceremony in Bradford on December 9. The first place winner will receive £25,000 ($33,334), whereas runners-up will be awarded £10,000 each. Last year's winner of the prize was Jasleen Kaur. The UK artist famously called for a ceasefire in Gaza as she accepted the prestigious art award at a ceremony in London. The annual Turner Prize, named after the landscape painter J M W Turner, is awarded every other year at the Tate Britain. Venues outside London host the award-winning ceremony during alternate iterations.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Glasgow-born autistic artist shortlisted for Turner prize
A Glasgow-born autistic artist who binds plastic bags in video tape to create huge hanging sculptures has been shortlisted for the Turner Prize. Nnena Kalu, who was first spotted by the art world with a successful show at the Glasgow International festival of contemporary art in 2019, has held a series of solo shows in recent years showcasing her work. She creates large-scale abstract sculptures and drawings that hang down from the wall or ceiling, made from colourful streams of repurposed fabric, rope, parcel tape, cling film, paper and reels of VHS tape. Kalu, a resident artist at ActionSpace's studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London, at Studio Voltaire, is supported by Charlotte Hollinshead, her artist's assistant. Kalu is unable to articulate complex thoughts verbally, so Hollinshead speaks on her behalf, and provides her with colourful streams of repurposed fabric, rope, parcel tape, cling film, paper and reels of VHS tape to create her art. She is nominated for her installation Hanging Sculpture 1-10, which Manifesta 15 Barcelona commissioned her to create at a disused power station, and her presentation in Conversations, a group exhibition at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Mohammed Sami's After the Storm at Blenheim Palace (Image: Tom Lindboe/Blenheim Palace) The works contain 10 large brightly coloured sculptures that hung among the grey concrete pillars of the industrial site, and a work in pen, graphite and chalk pen on two pieces of paper. She was commended for 'her unique command of material, colour and gesture and her highly attuned responses to architectural space'. Also nominated are Peterborough artist Rene Matic and fellow London-based artists Mohammed Sami, who first moved to Sweden after leaving Iraq, and Canada-born Zadie Xa. Matic, 27, was praised by the jury for expressing 'concerns around belonging and identity, conveying broader experiences of a young generation and their community through an intimate and compelling body of work'. READ MORE: Who is Jasleen Kaur, Glasgow's Turner Prize-winning artist? I visited Edinburgh's Turner exhibition - and it is utterly splendid Their work looks at themes including 'the constructed self through the lens of rudeness', which they have taken from rudeboy culture, a Jamaican subculture in the UK. It includes personal photographs of family and friends in stacked frames, paired with sound, banners, and an installation at the Centre for Contemporary Arts Berlin, Germany. They also have an ongoing collection called Restoration, which focuses on 'antique black dolls salvaged by the artist' and a flag quoting political leaders who called for 'no place for violence' in the wake of the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump. Xa, 41, who studied at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver and the Royal College of Art in London, is influenced by her Korean background and its 'spiritual rituals, shamanism, folk traditions and textile practices'. Rene Matic's work in Berlin (Image: Diana Pfammatter/CCA Berlin) She is nominated for Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything (2025), which was created with Spanish artist Benito Mayor Vallejo and shown at the United Arab Emirates' Sharjah Biennial. It has a sound element inspired by Salpuri, a Korean exorcism dance, and a mobile sculpture inspired by seashell wind chimes and Korean shamanic rattles, which has 650 brass bells that make harmonised sounds. Painter Sami, 40, born in Baghdad, has studied at the Belfast School of Art and Goldsmiths College, London. He says: 'My paintings seek to capture the state of confusion that occurs because of the cut thread between reality and the imagination; between war narrated and war witnessed.' Sami was given the nod for After the Storm: Mohammed Sami at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, which has 14 paintings that respond to the history of Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace, and contain 'hints and references to conflict in Iraq'. The paintings do not have human figures, while one shows the 'shadow of a helicopter blade over a table and empty chairs', and another appears to suggest body bags. An exhibition of works will be held at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from September 27 2025 to February 22 2026 during the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. The winner will be announced on December 9 2025 at an award ceremony in Bradford. Last year, Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur - also from Glasgow - who put a doily on a car, won the prestigious art prize, which awards £25,000 to its winner and £10,000 to the other shortlisted artists. Previous recipients include sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), artist Damien Hirst (1995), and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen (1999).
The Herald Scotland
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow-born autistic artist Nnena Kalu shortlisted for Turner prize
She creates large-scale abstract sculptures and drawings that hang down from the wall or ceiling, made from colourful streams of repurposed fabric, rope, parcel tape, cling film, paper and reels of VHS tape. Kalu, a resident artist at ActionSpace's studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London, at Studio Voltaire, is supported by Charlotte Hollinshead, her artist's assistant. Kalu is unable to articulate complex thoughts verbally, so Hollinshead speaks on her behalf, and provides her with colourful streams of repurposed fabric, rope, parcel tape, cling film, paper and reels of VHS tape to create her art. She is nominated for her installation Hanging Sculpture 1-10, which Manifesta 15 Barcelona commissioned her to create at a disused power station, and her presentation in Conversations, a group exhibition at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Mohammed Sami's After the Storm at Blenheim Palace (Image: Tom Lindboe/Blenheim Palace) The works contain 10 large brightly coloured sculptures that hung among the grey concrete pillars of the industrial site, and a work in pen, graphite and chalk pen on two pieces of paper. She was commended for 'her unique command of material, colour and gesture and her highly attuned responses to architectural space'. Also nominated are Peterborough artist Rene Matic and fellow London-based artists Mohammed Sami, who first moved to Sweden after leaving Iraq, and Canada-born Zadie Xa. Matic, 27, was praised by the jury for expressing 'concerns around belonging and identity, conveying broader experiences of a young generation and their community through an intimate and compelling body of work'. READ MORE: Their work looks at themes including 'the constructed self through the lens of rudeness', which they have taken from rudeboy culture, a Jamaican subculture in the UK. It includes personal photographs of family and friends in stacked frames, paired with sound, banners, and an installation at the Centre for Contemporary Arts Berlin, Germany. They also have an ongoing collection called Restoration, which focuses on 'antique black dolls salvaged by the artist' and a flag quoting political leaders who called for 'no place for violence' in the wake of the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump. Xa, 41, who studied at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver and the Royal College of Art in London, is influenced by her Korean background and its 'spiritual rituals, shamanism, folk traditions and textile practices'. Rene Matic's work in Berlin (Image: Diana Pfammatter/CCA Berlin) She is nominated for Moonlit Confessions Across Deep Sea Echoes: Your Ancestors Are Whales, and Earth Remembers Everything (2025), which was created with Spanish artist Benito Mayor Vallejo and shown at the United Arab Emirates' Sharjah Biennial. It has a sound element inspired by Salpuri, a Korean exorcism dance, and a mobile sculpture inspired by seashell wind chimes and Korean shamanic rattles, which has 650 brass bells that make harmonised sounds. Painter Sami, 40, born in Baghdad, has studied at the Belfast School of Art and Goldsmiths College, London. He says: 'My paintings seek to capture the state of confusion that occurs because of the cut thread between reality and the imagination; between war narrated and war witnessed.' Sami was given the nod for After the Storm: Mohammed Sami at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, which has 14 paintings that respond to the history of Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace, and contain 'hints and references to conflict in Iraq'. The paintings do not have human figures, while one shows the 'shadow of a helicopter blade over a table and empty chairs', and another appears to suggest body bags. An exhibition of works will be held at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from September 27 2025 to February 22 2026 during the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. The winner will be announced on December 9 2025 at an award ceremony in Bradford. Last year, Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur - also from Glasgow - who put a doily on a car, won the prestigious art prize, which awards £25,000 to its winner and £10,000 to the other shortlisted artists. Previous recipients include sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), artist Damien Hirst (1995), and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen (1999).
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Turner Prize nominates neurodiverse and refugee artists
A non-verbal neurodiverse artist, a former Iraqi refugee and one of the youngest ever nominees are among the artists shortlisted for this year's Turner Prize. Nnena Kalu, Mohammed Sami, Zadie Xa and Rene Matić - who at 27 is the second youngest artist to be nominated after Damien Hirst - are all in the running for the prestigious annual art prize, the Tate announced on Wednesday. An exhibition of their work will be held at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from September as part of Bradford's UK City of Culture celebrations. The winner, who will be awarded £25,000, will then be announced on 9 December at a ceremony in the West Yorkshire city. Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the Turner Prize jury, said the shortlist "reflects the breadth of artistic practice today, from painting and sculpture to photography and installation". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the artists, who are each guaranteed to receive £10,000, offer "extraordinary world-views that are very personal". Take a closer look at all four shortlisted artists and their work: Glasgow-born Nnena Kalu (above) has been a resident artist with Action Space, which supports artists with learning disabilities, for more than 25 years. She creates large-scale swirling abstract drawings and sculpures made from colourful streams of repurposed fabrics and materials such as reels of VHS tape. The jury praised her "unique command of material, colour and gesture and her highly attuned responses to architectural space". Photographer, writer and poet Rene Matić, from Peterborough, is nominated for solo exhibition As Opposed To The Truth at CCA Berlin, which touches on the rise of right-wing populism and identities. Matić captures "fleeting moments of joy in daily life, and expressions of tenderness within a wider political context", according to Tate, using intimate photos of family and friends placed in an installation which also includes objects like the artist's collection of children's black dolls bought in second-hand shops. The work looks at themes including "the constructed self through the lens of rudeness" and rudeboy culture, a Jamaican subculture. The jury said they were "struck by the artist's ability to express concerns around belonging and identity". Mohammed Sami hails from Baghdad and his work draws on his life and experiences during the Iraq war and as a refugee in Sweden. The artist is recognised for solo exhibition After the Storm at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and the jury were impressed by his "powerful representation" of war and exile. His large-scale paintings explore memory and loss, layering patterns and colours to create "haunting, dreamlike scenes". Zadie Xa comes from Vancouver, Canada, and her work is inspired by her Korean heritage and the importance of shamanic beliefs. Interweaving paintings, murals, traditional patchwork textiles and 650 brass bells that make harmonised sound inspired by Korean shamanic ritual bells, Xa's work focuses on the sea as "a spiritual realm to explore traditions and folklore, speaking to a multitude of cultures". The jury felt the "vibrant installation" was a "sophisticated development" of Xa's work. Established in 1984, the prize is named after radical painter JMW Turner - who would have turned 250 on Wednesday - and is awarded each year to a British-based artist for an "outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work". Shanaz Gulzar, creative director Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, said it was "a huge honour and privilege" to bring the prize to the city that gave the world David Hockney. "Bradford has produced some amazing artists, literary artists, visual artists, contemporary artists," she told Radio 4. "And to have these four artists in Bradford, I think really speaks to how we're delivering our year so far, and it speaks to our audiences." Last year's prize was won by Jasleen Kaur, who used a vintage Ford Escort, worship bells and Irn-Bru to celebrate the Scottish Sikh community. Other ther previous winners have included Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), Damien Hirst (1995) and Sir Steve McQueen (1999). Art showcasing Scottish Sikh community wins Turner Prize 'I thought I wouldn't be here' - David Hockney on his biggest ever exhibition
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Turner Prize 2025: Four shortlisted artists named by Tate
A non-verbal neurodiverse artist, a former Iraqi refugee and one of the youngest ever nominees are among the artists shortlisted for this year's Turner Kalu, Mohammed Sami, Zadie Xa and Rene Matić - who at 27 is the second youngest artist to be nominated after Damien Hirst - are all in the running for the prestigious annual art prize, the Tate announced on exhibition of their work will be held at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from September as part of Bradford's UK City of Culture winner, who will be awarded £25,000, will then be announced on 9 December at a ceremony in the West Yorkshire city. 'Extraordinary world-views' Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain and chair of the Turner Prize jury, said the shortlist "reflects the breadth of artistic practice today, from painting and sculpture to photography and installation".He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the artists, who are each guaranteed to receive £10,000, offer "extraordinary world-views that are very personal".Take a closer look at all four shortlisted artists and their work: Glasgow-born Nnena Kalu (above) has been a resident artist with Action Space, which supports artists with learning disabilities, for more than 25 creates large-scale swirling abstract drawings and sculpures made from colourful streams of repurposed fabrics and materials such as reels of VHS jury praised her "unique command of material, colour and gesture and her highly attuned responses to architectural space". Photographer, writer and poet Rene Matić, from Peterborough, is nominated for solo exhibition As Opposed To The Truth at CCA Berlin, which touches on the rise of right-wing populism and captures "fleeting moments of joy in daily life, and expressions of tenderness within a wider political context", according to Tate, using intimate photos of family and friends placed in an installation which also includes objects like the artist's collection of children's black dolls bought in second-hand work looks at themes including "the constructed self through the lens of rudeness" and rudeboy culture, a Jamaican jury said they were "struck by the artist's ability to express concerns around belonging and identity". Mohammed Sami hails from Baghdad and his work draws on his life and experiences during the Iraq war and as a refugee in artist is recognised for solo exhibition After the Storm at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and the jury were impressed by his "powerful representation" of war and large-scale paintings explore memory and loss, layering patterns and colours to create "haunting, dreamlike scenes". Zadie Xa comes from Vancouver, Canada, and her work is inspired by her Korean heritage and the importance of shamanic paintings, murals, traditional patchwork textiles and 650 brass bells that make harmonised sound inspired by Korean shamanic ritual bells, Xa's work focuses on the sea as "a spiritual realm to explore traditions and folklore, speaking to a multitude of cultures".The jury felt the "vibrant installation" was a "sophisticated development" of Xa's work. 'Speaks to our audiences' Established in 1984, the prize is named after radical painter JMW Turner - who would have turned 250 on Wednesday - and is awarded each year to a British-based artist for an "outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work".Shanaz Gulzar, creative director Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, said it was "a huge honour and privilege" to bring the prize to the city that gave the world David Hockney."Bradford has produced some amazing artists, literary artists, visual artists, contemporary artists," she told Radio 4."And to have these four artists in Bradford, I think really speaks to how we're delivering our year so far, and it speaks to our audiences."Last year's prize was won by Jasleen Kaur, who used a vintage Ford Escort, worship bells and Irn-Bru to celebrate the Scottish Sikh ther previous winners have included Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), Damien Hirst (1995) and Sir Steve McQueen (1999).
