The Turner Prize 2009

The Turner Prize is arguably the most prestigious art award of our time. It is now celebrating 25 years and has always encouraged an active opinion from the public. This year the four shortlisted artists are Lucy Skaers, Richard Wright, Enrico David and Roger Hiorns.

Lucy Skaer often uses found photographic imagery which she removes from the original context and translates into what she describes as 'another language'. She aims to slow down our comprehension in what we are looking at, and this is evident in her piece "Leviathon Edge" 2009. This work shows a whale's skull suspended and contained within a space and segregated from the rest of the room. The viewer can only see the skull through purposeful gaps in these walls. The effect of this is that we are made to look at the object in sections but rather than cutting the skull into pieces we are still aware that it exists as a whole. This noticeably changes the way we look at it. Her work stems from reality but is transformed into something both familiar and unfamiliar at the same moment in time. I found her work predictable and tame. Work that is asking you to question how you physically look at things is dull in my opinion.

The work of Richard Wright responds directly to the space in which they are situated. He creates subtle and exquisite paintings that focus on the temporary nature of art. He says "space is a work already begun" and that he can "feel the air". He wants to "open up a visual world of the unseen". These beliefs that are evident through his practice make his work magical and 'special', unique to the particular situation he is in. He paints directly on the walls of the space, and questions the value of art, knowing that his paintings will not exist after the show. His piece "No Title" 2009 is created using gold leaf, upon entering the room you are faced with a delicate yet magnificent painting.

"No Title" 2009, Richard Wright.

Enrico David, a contemporary surrealist, is perhaps one of the most perplexing artists in this years show. He creates unsettling and disconcerting imagery through drawing, painting and sculpture. His work focuses on the human body and an awkward fit into the world. This is not merely a response to self consciousness, more a production of a paranoid nightmare. "Absuction Cardigan" 2009 is something comparable to an obscure shop window display. The oversized limbs of a human figure are draped over the scene linking different objects within the piece. It expresses a physical and emotional crisis, concerned mainly with gender and sexuality. I feel that his work is therapy on the self, I was left unsettled and intrigued about the artist himself rather than the artwork.

"Absuction Cardigan" 2009, Enrico David.

The most publicly favored artist to win this year is Roger Hiorns, he uses organic materials allowing the element of chance into his work. As he states, he becomes "an objective viewer of his own process". The artist combines unusual resources to create powerful sculpture and installation. "Seizure" is the most extravagant of all the pieces. Hiorn flooded a London flat with a copper sulphate solution which he then left to cool and crystalize. The end results are beautiful but this is not the half of it, when the process is considered this work becomes powerfully exceptional. "Untitled" 2008 is an atomised passenger plane, the final product, a very fine grey dust, is displayed on the floor of the show. This piece challenges our faith in technology and the entropy of all things. Concepts aside the art of Richard Hiorn is truly epic.

"Seizure" Richard Hiorns.

Serpentine Gallery - Gustav Metzger -"Decades 1959- 2009"

The first piece upon entering the exhibition is a collection of newspapers that the artist has obtained since 1995. It is an interactive installation where the viewer is encouraged to comment on the news within them. Titled "Eichmann and the Angel" the piece along with his other works explores political and environmental issues, he focuses on the destructive powers of the 20th Century society. The participative aspect and content of the work allow exploration and communication between the public and this is what makes the work so successful rather than the impact of the archive of newspapers in the space.

The section focusing on historical photographs was particularly effective. Metzger displays large prints of World War 2. He uses the viewer's sensitivity towards child suffering to create high impact works. The images alone would prompt a melancholic response but this is exaggerated by the techniques he has used to show them. Or rather hide them. One particular piece was set on the floor, it was covered by a green piece of fabric. The viewer was invited to lift the material and crawl underneath to view the image in a completely unusual way. I participated in this and felt an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia, the fabric on top of me was heavier than I had expected and it took, what felt like, a long time for me to crawl from one end to the other. When the top of the image is reached a line of Jewish children is revealed. It is really quite powerful. Another woman took part in this act and as I watched her I felt that the work viewed with the involvement of the moving body, was just as, if not more significant to what is experienced when in it yourself.

I thought the variation of works in this exhibition made for a really interesting show. The artist's focus on the human experience is portrayed in a relevant, informative and active way, which in turn allows for major thought and questioning.

Critique of Andrzej Ford's Video Piece.

As a group we questioned the patience required to appreciate video art, it is an experience that requires a more controlled amount of time. Even though, with this example, the video is on an everlasting loop, there is still a strong aspect of time. The repetition of both the sound and the projection had the effect of being stuck in that space of existence, it was mesmerising. The pace of the recordings were fast but the speed could not be described as overly frantic. There was an element of panic to what was being witnessed but not one of urgency.

We follow the audio recording through a narrow corridor and turn a corner before viewing the projection. The sound loops contain recordings of what appear to be movements of something mechanical, and a sampling of a woman's voice. The distortion gave an unsettling feeling in the stomach. The artist has used a 'sandwiching' effect enclosing the viewer not only in the surrounding walls but having the projection on one side and the sound coming from the opposite. We are physically trapped in this ongoing moment until we decide to come back through the way we came. This is a very powerful technique and not something that usually occurs when viewing video art. However maybe it is made too obvious, that the viewer is literally forced into this space and then held there by the blockage of people through the narrow space. But for those of us to lazy to allow video art to make an impact maybe this is the only way.

This piece prompts you to feel emotion, it is not informative it is not entertaining, it is purely to allow the viewer to be in touch with the experience. We are made to feel sensitive from the beginning. The mixture between the familiar and the unfamiliar strengthens the surreal pace of the recordings. This is clearly a representation or manipulation of something that exists in reality. As the viewer trapped in this situation we begin searching for rhythm, pattern and order, whether these things can be predicted or whether we are left in a situation that is completely unknown, completely out of our hands. The repetitive vertical lines and gradient colours that appear in the projection have an aesthetic quality about them, comparable to a moving painting. This idea is supported by the unusual size of the image, we are viewing something that is a portal or insight into something else.

In conclusion I feel that this piece has the potential to be a success and with fine tuning it would not be out of place alongside other similar works. I do however find it hard to feel the any kind of inspirational or sensory impact from such work because there is an element of force involved. The process of recording and distorting is a controlling aspect in itself. The feeling of motion feels fake rather than controlled.

Critique of Oliver Place's Work.

The artist has created a sculpture reusing pieces of wood from objects such as crates and chairs, they have been screwed together to create a ramp. The sculpture is stylised, it appears to look old, weathered and haphazard in form and physicality. It is interesting to question the artist's intentions here. Was the ramp created to look like something that once held strength but in time has aged? Or was it being shown for what it is, a new creation made from objects with history in themselves?

The piece is lit from the bottom of the 'runway', it stands away from the surrounding walls and at an angle. I got the impression that the ramp was a proud success, a display of something quite personally triumphant to the artist.

A ramp is seen as a device for getting up and down, whether that is for entertainment, recreation or practicality. It is therefore significant that this ramp is not suitable for use at all. The positioning of the light almost dares the viewer to walk onto it's precariously joined wooden pieces. This could be read as a metaphor for dangerous challenges, and could be a show of a boyish sense of adventure.

What is it the artist is wanting us to feel from this 'ramp'? In my personal opinion you cannot present something and pretend it is another, there has to be a level of honesty towards the viewer. I do however feel that with this piece the artist successfully allows the viewer to take part in a narrative, but one that is understood as that rather than a reality. This is something I have only just thought about and will be incorporated into my future studio practice.