Artists selected for John Moore painting prize shortlist unveiled
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Version 0 of 1. Medieval church architecture and a statue of an assassinated politician feature in works shortlisted for the UK’s biggest painting prize. The John Moores painting prize has championed contemporary British painting for nearly 60 years. Established in Liverpool in 1957, it is given biennially with previous winners including David Hockney, John Hoyland, Peter Doig and Rose Wylie. Five artists have been shortlisted for the 2016 edition with the £25,000 winner announced on 7 July: Talar Aghbashian, Gabriella Boyd, Benjamin Jamie, Selma Parlour and Michael Simpson. The writer and curator Richard Davey, one of this year’s jurors, said beyond their connections as paintings the works may appear to have little in common. “One is a geometric abstraction, three are figurative and one hovers in a poetic space between figuration and abstraction,” he said. “On closer inspection, however, we see that the paintings share a common ability to reveal fresh perspectives and new points of view, through the medium of paint. In doing so, they show us our reality and far more, broadening and transforming our individual outlooks.” The youngest shortlisted artist is Glasgow-born Boyd, in her late 20s, nominated for a work called Birthyard. The oldest on the list is Dorset-born painter Simpson, who, as a student at the Royal College of Art, once shared a room with Hockney. He is nominated for Squint, one of a continuing series of paintings that explores the “infamy of religious history” through the depictions of a “Leper Squint” – an architectural feature of medieval churches that allowed lepers and other “undesirables” to watch services without coming anywhere near the congregation. The others are Beirut-born Aghbashian for her untitled painting showing a roughly modelled arm of a statue of an assassinated politician; Nottingham-born Jamie for an abstract painting called Dissolver and Johannesburg-born Parlour for a work called One, The Side-ness of In-Out. The five paintings were selected from more than 2,500 entries and will be displayed with other works at the John Moores painting prize exhibition between 9 July and 27 November. The prize was created at the suggestion of Moores, founder of Littlewoods and is part of the Liverpool Biennial, a contemporary arts jamboree which runs from 9 July to 16 October. Sandra Penketh, the director of art galleries at National Museums Liverpool, said: “For almost 60 years the John Moores painting prize has represented the thrilling diversity and remarkable talent that is so characteristic of contemporary British painting. “This year’s vibrant and exciting mix of selected works is certainly no exception.” |