Turner Prize aims to appeal to public

The Turner Prize aims to do in `09 what it has often failed to do in the past.

London, April 29: The Turner Prize, one of the world`s top contemporary art awards, aims to do in 2009 what it has often failed to do in the past -- appeal to the public.The annual prize, in its 25th year, has earned a reputation as a provocative and often unpopular contest that has Britain, tabloid media included, heatedly debating `What is art?`

The four nominated artists in 2009 revealed on Tuesday could be short on shock value and easier to understand than many previous entrants, judges said. Roger Hiorns is best known for his 2008 exhibition "Seizure" in which he filled a derelict apartment in an abandoned 1960s London housing block with liquid copper sulphate which gradually encrusted every surface with bright blue crystals. "He is in a way a modern alchemist," said jury member and curator Andrea Schlieker. "He uses ordinary materials from liquid detergent to perfume to fire and turns them into something magic and wondrous." Italian-born Enrico David is, according to jury member and art critic Jonathan Jones, "obsessed wuth the human figure and obsessed with the human body. "He`s a kind of contemporary surrealist," Jones said. "David does achieve some of the kinds of shocks and dislocations of surrealist art ... in the 1920s." The 2009 shortlist features one woman, Lucy Skaer, who makes drawings and sculptures which often take photographic sources as a starting point. The fourth nominee is Richard Wright, who at 49 just qualifies for the Turner Prize which rewards artists active in Britain and under the age of 50. Wright specializes in large wall paintings made specifically for the space in which they appear. Jones said his works recalled both the exact geometry of Islamic tile works and medieval fresco paintings. Cross-dressing Potter Previous Turner Prize winners include Grayson Perry, a cross-dressing potter, and Martin Creed, whose installation in 2001 featured lights going on and off in an empty room. So incensed was one visitor to the show that she hurled two eggs at the wall of the installation, dismissing Creed and others like him as "manufacturers of gimmicks." Stephen Deuchar, chair of this year`s jury and director of Tate Britain, defended the prize. "Say what you like about the Turner Prize, it does provide an arena where emerging talent is put before the public." Jones said the 2009 selection was less likely to be dismissed by members of the public as some previous nominees. "Sometimes the Turner Prize is accused of awarding something other than talent. "People say `my child could do that.` It`s not conceivable that you could look at any of these artists (in that way). It shows there is a great deal of talent in contemporary art." Previous winners include Damien Hirst and Gilbert & George. Works by the shortlisted artists will go on display on October 7 and winner is announced on December 7. Tens of thousands of people go to see the exhibition each year. Bureau Report