I was interested to explore the Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain as this year I had caught up on a short BBC programme giving some knowledge of the artists beforehand which was really helpful.
Out of the four artists shortlisted, the two who held my attention the most were Helen Marten (the eventual winner) and Michael Dean so here are some photos of their work below.
Helen Marten creates collections with an unknown, sometimes mysterious, narrative, carefully composed with skillfully made elements. Part of the story for me is a celebration of the activity of making as well as the history of objects. The more you look, the more is revealed.
An ongoing process is taking place here, with equal weight given to the precious and the humble to the exclusion of hierarchy.
Michael Dean’s background includes an interest in text evident in his installation United Kingdom poverty line for two adults and two children: twenty thousand four hundred and thirty six pounds sterling as published on 1st September 2016. By removing one penny from the pile his “family” is now below the poverty line.
It’s a haunting liminal space with the physicality of letter forms in the landscape.
