New Zealand artist Luke Willis Thompson has been nominated for the Turner Prize.
One of the world’s most renowned visual arts awards, the Turner Prize is awarded annually to an artist working in Britain for an outstanding exhibition, or presentation.
Thompson’s work will be exhibited at Tate Britain from September 2018 to January 2019 along with work by the other shortlisted artists. The winner will be announced in December 2018.
Thompson was nominated for autoportrait, a work commissioned by the Chisenhale Gallery in partnership with Create and with support from Creative New Zealand.
The work is a portrait of Diamond Reynolds. In July 2016, Reynolds broadcast via Facebook Live the moments immediately after the fatal shooting of her partner Philando Castile by a police officer during a traffic-stop in Minnesota. In November 2016, Thompson talked with Reynolds and her lawyer, and invited Reynolds to work with him on the production of an artwork.
Described as an aesthetic response that is a kind of ‘sister-image’ to Reynolds’ broadcast, autoportrait is a moving, silent portrait shot in 35mm, black and white film.
Thompson, who is part Fijian, is one of four artists shortlisted for the world-renowned prize and is just the second New Zealander to be nominated. The winner will be announced live by the BBC.
Thompson’s autoportrait has also been nominated for the 2018 Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize. It is currently on show in London at The Photographers’ Gallery and will be exhibited later this year at MMK in Frankfurt. The work will also be exhibited during the 10th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art (9 June – 9 September 2018).
From Creative NZ.
