The multidisciplinary artist Jesse Darling has won the 2023 Turner Prize, the U.K.’s most important prize for contemporary art.
During his acceptance speech, Darling reminded the British public that, starting with Margaret Thatcher, successive governments have been removing arts education from the national curriculum, so bringing about greater elitism within the arts. “Don’t buy in!” he declared. “[Art] is for everyone!” Before leaving the stage, Darling waved a Palestinian flag.
On view at the Towner Eastbourne Contemporary Art Museum, his darkly playful sculptural installation, replete with broken rollercoaster rails, red striped tape, lace doilies, and Union Jack flags made of tea towels, responded directly to Eastbourne and other classically British coastal towns that have been historically deprived. Describing a walk around the town, he recalled “closed shops, a lot of poverty, and a lot of old white people waiting to retire; you can see the effects of devastating austerity and class divisions.”
Turner Prize is given annually to a British visual artist by the Tate museums. Rather than serving as a lifetime achievement prize, the £25,000 (~$31,480) award is presented based on artists’ recent bodies of work. This year’s shortlisted finalists included Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker, each of whom will receive £10,000 (~$12,595).
