Research Guru / Moderator
Posted:
May 13, 2008, 3:24 PM
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Simpsons fan nominated for Britain's Turner Prize
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An artist who includes characters from "The Simpsons" and "Felix the Cat" in his work was one of four people nominated Tuesday for this year's notorious Turner Prize, handed out annually by the Tate Britain for contemporary art.
Mark Leckey's solo exhibition Industrial Light & Magic includes such cartoon images as Marge Simpson walking out of a movie theater.
Leckey is the sole male finalist for this year's prize of £25,000 ($49,000 U.S.), to be presented December 1 after a major exhibit at the Tate Britain in London.
The Turner Prize is given to a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or presentation of their work in the 12 months before May 6. Starting on October 7, each shortlisted artist will showcase their work at the Tate Britain in London before the winner is announced.
Born in Birkenhead, England, Leckey, 43, lives and works in London. He makes films and admits that he's "slightly obsessed with Felix the Cat."
Leckey employs "found" images. These also include pictures taken from The Simpsons, clips from The Titanic movie, and shots from Disney cartoons. One of his previous exhibitions was called "Septic Tank."
Leckey has delivered a lecture wearing a mask from The Simpsons. It's his way -- so he says -- of pointing out how famous screen images seem to inhabit our physical world.
According to British bookmaker William Hill, Leckey's the current odds-on (5/4) favorite to win. A £300 bet was laid on him within hours of the nominations, spokesman Rupert Adams said.
Not one painter made the shortlist for this year's award. Instead, those nominated for the 2008 Turner Prize work in of sculpture, video or art installations. Each has six months to select work for the Tate exhibit.
Among the other nominees is Cathy Wilkes of Glasgow, whose oeuvre includes a shop mannequins sitting on the toilet with leftover bits of dried porridge at their feet. She says it's a reflection of how the world sees women.
"The general public look to the Turner Prize to introduce them to what is new," said Stephen Deuchar, director of Tate Britain and chairman of the Turner Prize judges. "It is not about giving good service medals to artists who have been around for a long time; it is about spotting emerging trends that are especially interesting," he told BBC News.
The Turner Prize was set up in 1984. For more information, see www.tate.org.uk/britain.
Turner Prize nominee Mark Leckey's Felix Gets Broadcasted (2007).
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"Oh boy." -- Allan Sherman
(This post was edited by eminovitz on May 13, 2008, 3:24 PM)
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