LONDON – A large concrete sculpture of a bracelet referencing the excesses of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos and a collection of portraits focusing on Black men and women are among the eclectic artwork shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize.
Four artists — Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Jasleen Kaur and Delaine Le Bas — were shortlisted for the 25,000-pound ($33,000) visual arts prize, which was established in 1984 and is awarded annually to a British contemporary artist.
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The artworks are on public display at the Tate Britain museum in London from Wednesday, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 3.
Abad, who grew up in the Philippines, used sculptures and intricate drawings of British museum artifacts to reflect on colonial and overlooked histories. His striking 3-meter concrete bracelet, titled “Kiss the Hand You Cannot Bite,” critiques Marcos's notoriously lavish lifestyle.
The sculpture is “a reimagination of Imelda Marcos' ostentatious 30-carat ruby, diamond and pearl bracelet as a colossal concrete effigy,” Abad wrote.
Johnson, a painter known for her large portraits of Black subjects, aims to counter the marginalization of Black people in European art history. Her paintings feature herself and her family, and one piece, “Pieta,” is her response to the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The other two on the shortlist are Kaur, a Glasgow-born artist who uses eclectic objects like a vintage Ford car covered with a giant crocheted doily and immersive music to reflect on her upbringing in Glasgow's Sikh community; and Le Bas, who filled three rooms with painted fabrics and sculptures drawing on her Roma heritage.
“This year's artists each make vibrant and varied work that reflects not just their personal memories and familial stories, but also speaks to wider questions of identity, myth, belonging and community,” said Alex Farquharson, chair of the Turner Prize jury.
Named for 19th-century landscape painter J.M.W. Turner, the award helped make stars of sculptor Anish Kapoor, shark-pickling artist Damien Hirst and filmmaker Steve McQueen.
But it has also been criticized for rewarding impenetrable conceptual work and often sparks debate about the value of modern art. In 2019, all four finalists were declared winners after they refused to compete against one another.