Anthea Hamilton, Michael Dean, Helen Marten, Josephine Pryde
TURNER PRIZE 2016
TATE BRITAIN
September 27-January 2 2017
Michael Dean
Very primitive not polished but rough usage of materials. It says that writing plays an important role in the development of his structures or forms. I couldn’t see the correlation. He used tape to hold certain pieces together with the metal structures which gives the impression of an immediate way of working.
Josephine Pryde
I really liked the 8 Beach wood MDF particle board pieces. The way they were made by simply placing objects on the work tops and putting them in the sun to make these beautiful abstract marks. I like the way if speaks of sculpture and print making and possibly painting. The way they were displayed leaning up against the wall is such a simple gesture yet the repetition of each board with only the abstracted image changing was very beautiful to me. I like this way of displaying objects which takes away some of the fuss of thinking to hard about the fixings.
Helen Marten
The most intriguing pieces for me were the 2D painting and the collaged 3D animal. The 2D assemblage of elements using painting in multiple ways. As a flat painting which reminded me of an aerial view of a landscape. There were layers of areas with space and fog of spray painted colors, contrasted with pockets of detail with outlines, which focused your eye on these elements and suggested to me neighborhoods. The elements that are tacked on with nails add another layer that I found interesting. Then this painting was divided even further with each panel being separated by a contrasting material that looked like a shelf. I like the juxtaposition of cartoon like line drawings and block shapes. You can spend a while looking at it as a whole or spend time with each section. The addition of the cracked ceramic 3D pieces in the cutaway from the painting gives you the inside/outside view. The sculpture on the other side that is hanging on with strategic hooks looks like some kind of engorged animal like a snake or slug. The wall pieces that it hangs on are simple metal fixings. However the front fixing looks like a containment mask for this creature. All the subsequent parts are secured neatly with nuts and bolts. I could see using this technique as an interesting way of allowing the viewer to see blatantly the joining of 3D objects together.
Anthea Hamilton
My favorite of her pieces were the metal, Perspex, and leather chastity belts hanging from the ceiling. They were beautifully made and with the shapes and the fixings reminded me of a swing set for children. Not sure if that was the idea she was going for but I found it fascinating. I also like the two knives stabbed into the wall with fabrics hanging from them both of these pieces had an exciting dichotomy of images with dual meanings.