This year’s Liverpool Art Prize is now open, returning to the city for its 7th successive year. The exhibition at Edge Hill Station is running until 21 June; presenting work of the 3 shortlisted finalists Brigitte Jurack, Tabitha Jussa and Jason Thompson.
Managed by Metal, the Art Prize celebrates and nurtures the creative talent of artists based or born in the Liverpool region and each of the finalists have created new work in response to being shortlisted for the prize.
Wirral based Brigitte Jurack‘s sculptures and installations seek to trigger memories of being, in place and in time. For her entry she has prepared a new body of work named ‘The Explorers Are Gone for Tea’. In this work, her interest in orienteering, map reading, interpretation and re-evaluation will be played out.
Tabitha Jussa’s socio-political photographic work has captured match-day crowds and abandoned social housing estates. Her recent large–scale compositions examine whether physical spaces and buildings define who we are. For the Liverpool Art Prize she presents us with three large-scale photographs of high profile, controversial examples of regeneration projects to highlight the triumphs, failures and short sightedness within society of the treatment of people and place.
The final entry, Jason Thompson‘s paintings take inspiration from mechanical, botanical and anatomical diagrams. Their repetitive patterns are made by copying, mirroring and or echoing other parts. Structures are formed by this feedback process and it is as though the painting begins to paint itself, like a natural evolutionary process.
They will each be competing for the coveted main prize of £2000 and an invitation to create a solo exhibition at the Bluecoat in 2015, with the winner being selected by a panel of expert judges – Pavel Büchler, a Czech-born, UK-based artist, teacher and occasional writer, Francesco Manacorda, Artistic Director of Tate Liverpool and Simon Poulter, new media artist and Metal’s Associate Curator. Visitors will also get the chance to vote for their favourite piece resulting in a People’s Choice Award of £1000. There will be a special awards ceremony on 18th June announcing the winners.
“‘As ever, the standard of artists nominated for this years prize was extremely high. We are delighted with the exhibition put together by the shortlisted three. With three very different installations and responses to the spaces at the historic Edge Hill Station the judges have a tough job. Make sure you have your say and cast your vote for the Peoples Prize’”
Colette Bailey, Artistic Director and CEO, Metal.
Last year Tabitha Moses became the first artist to win both the People’s Choice and the overall prize in the same year. She will be presenting a solo exhibition of her work at the Walker Art Gallery during 2014.
Metal are also delighted to announce a fantastic opportunity for artists to win residency opportunities , the first being a yearlong studio residency at Metal’s Edge Hill Station open to any UK based artist. The second, a month-long residency to China in partnership with Shanghai Art School which is open to any North-West based artist. The closing date for both applications to be considered is 6th June and the lucky winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 18th June. Application details are available on Metal’s website: http://www.metalculture.com/current/liverpool-art-prize-residency-awards.html
The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of events and exhibitions happening in and around the city centre programmed by a consortium of the city’s studio groups and independent arts organisations for Liverpool Art Month. This year’s highlights include Movie Cars Exhibition by Mark Harrison and 104 Duke Street Studio’s proudly showcase its residing Artists’ individual projects in the studio’s debut exhibition, amongst many other exciting events involving local artists.
More information can also be found at http://www.liverpoolartprize.com/ and http://www.metalculture.com/
