Musician, DJ and actor Goldie says he cannot wait to find out the winner of the Turner Prize 2017 after it was announced he will present the best known accolade in British art.
The Turner Prize will be presented in Hull in December when it will be the culmination of the city’s year-long tenure at UK City of Culture. It is the prize’s first-ever visit to Yorkshire.
This is also the first year that older artists have been considered for the prize and the shortlist of four includes two over the age of 50 – British painter Hurvin Anderson, 52, and Lubaina Himid, who was born in Zanzibar, 62.
They are competing against German artist Andrea Buttner and Palestinian-English artist Rosalind Nashashibi, who are in their 40s.
Goldie said: “The Turner Prize is one of most important art prizes, whether outrageous, curious or challenging, it’s always relevant, as demonstrated by these works by all the artists on the shortlist and I cannot wait to find out who the winner is.
“Hull is having a storming year as UK City of Culture and I’m really looking forward to getting to see more of it myself.”
The shortlisted artists’ work has been on display in the Ferens Art Gallery in the centre of Hull since the end of September and the special exhibition has attracted more than 45,000 people in its first month.
Judging panel chairman Alex Farquharson said when he visited the gallery in September that it was a “really strong year” despite a feeling the work was in less innovative mediums than some of the landmark contenders of years gone by.
Mr Farquharson said he thought the work was “no less innovative for taking a more traditional form.”
Goldie will present the prize in Hull Minster on December 5.
DJ Goldie is to present the Turner Prize at Hull Minster in December (Tim Goode/PA)
Martin Green, Director of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, said: “We are thrilled that Goldie has agreed to present this year’s Turner Prize in Hull.
“The shortlisted artists have together produced a show that offers powerful commentary on current issues and it is brilliant to have someone whose own work has continually reflected what is going on around him presenting the award.”
Leader of Hull City Council Stephen Brady said: “It is fantastic to see so much interest in the Turner Prize within the first four weeks of the exhibition opening. The enthusiasm has been incredible and everyone is talking about it, which demonstrates people’s intrigue and appetite for contemporary art.”
The Turner Prize award is £40,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists.
Anderson, who was born in Birmingham and currently lives and works in London, is known for his vibrant still-life and landscape paintings with an overarching theme of community.
Himid celebrates black creativity and the African diaspora with her work, which includes paintings, prints, drawings and installations.
A key figure of the Black Arts Movement, she currently lives and works in Preston.
For Buttner, who is based in London and Berlin, the limitations of the body are a frequent source of inspiration, and her diverse portfolio includes works of printmaking, sculpture, painting, film and collaborative projects.
Croydon-born, London-based Nashashibi works primarily in film and also paints and creates prints, often fusing the different art forms together, and she drew on domestic life in Gaza and the political background for her piece Electrical Gaza 2015.