Jesse Darling has been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Turner Prize. The Oxford-born artist, aged 41 and currently residing in Berlin, was honored with the prestigious art award at Winter Garden in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Notable past winners of the prize include pottery maker and contemporary artist Sir Grayson Perry, film director and visual artist Sir Steve McQueen, and artist Damien Hirst.
This year's award, valued at £25,000 ($31,500), took place adjacent to the gallery Towner Eastbourne, this year's hosts, and was presented by British rapper Tinie Tempah.
Darling is renowned for their work with unconventional materials, such as welded barriers, hazard tape, office files, and net curtains. They've notably transformed a full-sized roller coaster into the skeletal form of a woolly mammoth.
During their acceptance speech, Darling pulled out the Palestinian flag from their coat pocket and waved it in acknowledgment of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel. They emphasized that art is something that resonates with the public and aids in developing various skills.
Darling criticized former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for reducing the teaching of art in schools, citing it as "not economically productive." They highlighted Thatcher's influence in perpetuating the belief that art and culture are only accessible to specific socio-economic groups, urging the British public not to buy into this notion.
Described by the Turner Prize as presenting a "familiar yet delirious world," Darling's exhibitions challenge perceived notions of labor, class, British identity, and power dynamics.
Born in 1981, Darling studied at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and completed a master's in fine art at University College London's Slade School of Fine Art in 2014. Their diverse artistic practice spans sculpture, installation, video, drawing, sound, text, and performance. In 2021, they released a collection of poetry titled "Virgins."
Darling was initially nominated for the prize for their expansive showcase "No Medals, No Ribbons" at Modern Art Oxford. This exhibition featured plastic bags positioned on steel legs resembling soldiers and creatively shaped mobility aids.
Further recognition came for their exhibition "Enclosures" at Camden Art Centre, examining the historical fencing off of common land through The Inclosure Acts.
Darling has curated solo exhibitions like "Miserere" at St James's Piccadilly, London in 2022, "Gravity Road" at Kunsteverein Freiburg in Germany in 2020, "Creve at Triangle - Asterides" in Marseille in 2019, and "The Ballad of Saint Jerome" at Tate Britain London in 2018.
They secured the Turner Prize victory over other finalists, including Ghislaine Leung, presenting an exhibition featuring water pouring into the exhibition space; Rory Pilgrim, who delivered a live performance at Cadogan Hall in London; and Barbara Walker, shedding light on families affected by the Windrush scandal.
The 2023 jury, chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, comprised Martin Clark, director of Camden Art Centre, Cedric Fauq, chief curator of Capc musee d'art contemporain de Bordeaux, Melanie Keen, director of London museum Wellcome Collection, and Helen Nisbet, chief executive and artistic director at gallery Cromwell Place.
The Turner Prize is awarded to an artist born or based in the UK for an exceptional exhibition or presentation of their work within the past 12 months. Next year, the prize will celebrate its 40th anniversary and return to Tate Britain for the first time since 2018.
The exhibition showcasing the Turner Prize shortlisted artists will be on display at Towner Eastbourne until April 14, 2024.
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