Words by Smiley Team
In positive news from the art world, a group of Belfast-based campaigners, Array Collective, has won the 2021 Turner Prize. The group received the £25,000 prize for what the Tate described as “hopeful and dynamic artwork”.
One member of the collective, Emma Campbell, reacted to winning saying they are "completely buzzing".
They were presented the prize money by Pauline Black, the lead singer of 2 Tone pioneers, The Selecter in a ceremony broadcast live by the BBC.
The awards panel applauded the collective’s efforts to successfully represent their activism and values in the gallery space. Despite the heavy topics explored in their art, the jury saw it as “a welcoming, immersive and surprising exhibition”.
Their installation featuring textiles, photography and more, “addresses social and political issues affecting Northern Ireland with humour, seriousness and beauty”, the Tate said in a release.
Made up of 11 artists employing diverse styles and techniques, Array is a non-hierarchical collective that uses art to highlight the challenges faced by oppressed groups of which they are members.
“We are all constituents or allies of the groups that we protest with and make art about,” Emma explained.
The judges congratulated the other four nominees for similarly socially-conscious artworks, which the runners up created in close collaboration with communities across the UK.
“The collaborative practices highlighted in this year’s shortlist also reflect the solidarity and generosity demonstrated in response to our divided times,” said the Tate.
For the first time, the 2021 Turner Prize shortlist consisted entirely of artist collectives and artist-run projects: Array Collective, Black Obsidian Sound System, Cooking Sections, Gentle/Radical and Project Art Works.
View the Turner Prize 2021 till 12 January 2022 at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry CV1 5QP.
Learn more about Array Collective at arraystudiosbelfast.com.
