Helen Marten Wins Turner Prize 2016

  • LONDON, United Kingdom
  • /
  • December 06, 2016

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Photo of Helen Marten; Photo by Juergen Teller. Night-blooming genera 2015 (detail), Spun aluminium, airbrushed steel, welded steel, lacquered hardwoods, stitched fabric, handthrown glazed ceramic, leather, glass, feathers, acid etched concrete © The Artist, courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London, Photography: Annik Wetter, Geneva Limpet Apology (traffic tenses) 2015 Screen printing and painting on leather, suede, cotton, velvet; stained and sprayed Ash; folded steel; enamel paint on Balsa wood; airbr

The Turner Prize 2016 has been awarded to Helen Marten it was announced at Tate Britain on Monday. The £25,000 prize was presented by author Ben Okri during a live broadcast on the BBC, the broadcast partner for the prize. A further £5,000 is awarded to each of the other shortlisted artists. 

The jury applauded the four nominated artists’ commitment and the strengths of their diverse artistic practices. They awarded the prize to Helen Marten for projects including Lunar Nibs at the 56th Venice Biennale and the solo exhibition Eucalyptus Let Us Inat Green Naftali, New York. The jury think the work is outstanding for its extraordinary range of materials and form. They admire the work’s poetic and enigmatic qualities which reflect the complexities and challenges of being in the world today. The jury believe she is making an exceptional contribution to the continuing development of contemporary visual art. 

One of the best known prizes for the visual arts in the world, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. The Prize, established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, is awarded to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding 28 April 2016. The shortlisted artists for 2016 were: Michael Dean, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten and Josephine Pryde.

The members of the Turner Prize 2016 jury are Michelle Cotton, Director, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn; Tamsin Dillon, Curator; Beatrix Ruf, Director, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Simon Wallis, Director, The Hepworth Wakefield. The Chair of the jury is Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain.

An exhibition of the four shortlisted artists is at Tate Britain until 2 January 2017.


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