Former Goldsmiths lecturer wins Turner Prize

Elizabeth Price. Pic: Tate Britain.

Elizabeth Price, artist and former visiting lecture at Goldsmiths, was presented with the Turner Prize by Jude Law last night at the Tate Britain.

After accepting the £25,000 award, Price – who was a member of the university’s MFA Curating program staff until August 2012 – spoke of the changes in education that will affect future generations of UK artists.

Chris Hammond, Price’s gallerist and director of MOT International said: “Liz went to a comprehensive school. She is the type of artist that would not benefit in this day and age, now that cuts have been made.”

When Price studied art at Oxford University in the 80s, students paid no fees. Now, Hammond said, student artists are paying a “huge amount of money” for their university education.

Hammond added: “Changes to the baccalaureate system means art won’t be taught in schools to the same level as it is now. This cuts into a whole generation of young artists.

The jury were impressed by the “rhythmic and ritualistic film experience” of Price’s video trilogy, which makes use use of different types of footage, including popular music videos, archived footage and advertisements.

One film features scenes of people waving from a smoking window, captured during a 1979 Manchester fire in which 10 people died.

The Turner Prize is presented every year to an artist aged under 50, living, working or born in Britain, for a noteworthy exhibition during the previous 12 months.

More than 20 Turner nominees have passed through Goldsmiths since the prize’s inception in 1984, with winners including Damien Hirst, Steve McQueen and Gillian Wearing.

An exhibition of Price’s work, along with the other shortlisted artists, Spartacus Chetwynd, Luke Fowler and Paul Noble, will take place at Tate Britain until January 6, 2013.

The Turner Prize 2012 award ceremony can be viewed online for the next month.

 

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