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Turner Prize 2019 exhibition to be unveiled at Turner Contemporary, Margate this weekend

The eyes of the art world will be on Kent this weekend when the exhibition featuring the work of the artists shortlisted for this year's Turner Prize is unveiled.

One of the biggest events in the art calendar, the exhibition opens at Turner Contemporary, in Margate, on Saturday, September 28.

Turner Contemporary in Margate will host the prize exhibition until January
Turner Contemporary in Margate will host the prize exhibition until January

The internationally famous prize will see the work of four shortlisted artists on show until the New Year, plus a massive programme of art-related events around the town and beyond.

The artists shortlisted are: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo and Tai Shani.

Using sound as an architectural element, Abu Hamdan’s work investigates crimes that have been heard and not seen, exploring the complexity of memory and language as well as the urgency of human rights and advocacy. The judges were impressed by his solo exhibition Earwitness Theatre at Chisenhale; his video installation Walled Unwalled and performance After SFX at Tate Modern.

Helen Cammock is shortlisted for her solo exhibition The Long Note at Void, Londonderry and IMMA, Dublin. The jury praised the timely and urgent quality of her work which explores social histories through film, photography, print, text and performance. The Long Note looks at the history and the role of women in the civil rights movement and highlights the complex politics of Northern Ireland.

Helen Cammock, The Long Note
Helen Cammock, The Long Note

Oscar Murillo’s work reflects on his own experience of displacement and the social fallout of globalisation. The judges were impressed with how he pushes the boundaries of materials, particularly in his paintings, incorporating a variety of techniques and media.

The jury noted Tai Shani's compelling nature of Dark Continent, developed over four years, which takes inspiration from a 15th century feminist text, Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies. She was shortlisted for her participation in Glasgow International 2018, solo exhibition DC: Semiramis at The Tetley, Leeds and Still I Rise: Feminisms, Gender, Resistance at Nottingham Contemporary and the De Le Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea.

Every other year, the prize leaves Tate Britain and is presented at a venue outside London and the Margate gallery has been chosen this year. It is the first time the prize, named after the artist JMW Turner, will have been presented at a venue with a connection to the artist himself.

The prize winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, December 3.

Alongside and celebrating the prize, will be a festival of art, events and performances, Margate NOW, across Margate, curated by Russell Tovey.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Walled Unwalled, Tate Modern Tanks
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Walled Unwalled, Tate Modern Tanks

Neighbouring Dreamland has also unveiled its commission - a 7m inflatable Tina Turner head, with a karoake booth inside, and held its own Tiina Turner Prize for a unique piece fan art, won by Kavel Rafferty, who received the most public votes for her abstract concept for its Mural By The Sea billboard.

Turner Prize 2019 is at Turner Contemporary in Margate from Saturday, September 28 to Sunday, January 12, 2020.

It is free to enter. Find out more at turnercontemporary.org

To find out more about Margate NOW go to at margatefestival.org/now and search #margatenow on social media.

To find out what’s going on in the county and for all the latest entertainment news click here.

Oscar Murillo 2019
Oscar Murillo 2019
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