Published: 29 Jan 2016
Turner Prize 2015, hosted by Glasgow’s Tramway has attracted almost 75,000 attendances, a new record for the venue. The exhibition, featuring work by four shortlisted artists, opened on 1 October 2015 and closed on Sunday, 17 January. With engagement activity across the city and Scotland, almost 90,000 people either visited or took part in activity associated with Turner Prize 2015.
The four shortlisted artists for Turner Prize 2015 were Assemble, Bonnie Camplin, Janice Kerbel and Nicole Wermers, with Assemble winning the £25,000 prize for their work in Liverpool. The ceremony on 6 December, 2015 was broadcast live by Channel Four.
The Turner Prize is awarded by Tate to contemporary artists. It is presented annually to a British artist under the age of 50 who has exhibited outstanding work in the previous year. It takes its name from the British painter J .M.W. Turner. The prize was first awarded in 1984.
Turner Prize 2015 is supported by partners including Glasgow Life, Creative Scotland, EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau. The exhibition at Tramway was the first time that the Turner Prize has been hosted in Scotland.
A total of 74,787 attendances were recorded at Tramway. Some 16,014 people participated in engagement programme activities, including pop-up events, workshops, talks and tours in Tramway and across the city, as well as visits to the Travelling Gallery as it traversed Scotland. This brings the total audience viewing the exhibition or taking part in associated activity to 89,333. A strong digital marketing and social media campaign brought further engagement both at home and abroad.
Judith Nesbitt, Director of National ＆ International Programmes, Tate, said: “We were delighted to work with colleagues at Tramway to present Turner Prize 2015 in Scotland for the first time. The city of Glasgow has nurtured artists who have had a profound impact on contemporary art in Britain and internationally, and it has proved to be a natural home for the Turner Prize. The enthusiastic response to Turner Prize 2015, and the number of visitors, demonstrates the continuing public appetite to see and discuss contemporary art.”
Councillor Frank McAveety, the Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Glasgow is Scotland’s cultural powerhouse and the response to hosting the Turner Prize has been phenomenal. The city is a global leader in creating, producing and presenting contemporary visual art and I want to thank the shortlisted artists, Tate and our partners for their efforts in attracting record attendances to Tramway.
“I am particularly pleased that so many people, particularly young people, took part in our education and engagement programmes and I have no doubt that will help to inspire the next generation of creative professionals.”
Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts, Creative Scotland, said: “We are delighted that the Turner Prize exhibition in Tramway has generated such great public interest. It has been a pleasure to work with key partners to bring this major event to audiences in Glasgow and to raise the profile of contemporary art across Scotland.”
Assemble won Turner Prize 2015 for projects including the ongoing collaboration with local residents and others in the Granby Four Streets, Liverpool. Assemble are a London-based collective who work across the fields of art, design and architecture to create projects in tandem with the communities who use and inhabit them. Their architectural spaces and environments promote direct action and embrace a DIY sensibility.
ENDS
For press information about Tramway, Glasgow, contact:
James
Doherty, Glasgow Life
T: +44 (0) 141 287 5970
E: james.doherty@glasgow.gov.uk
For press information about Tate contact:
Kate Moores,
Tate Press Office
T: +44(0) 20 7887 4906
E: kate.moores@tate.org.uk
www.tate.org.uk
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize is awarded by Tate to contemporary artists. It is presented annually to a British artist under fifty years old who has exhibited outstanding work in the previous year. It takes its name from the British painter J .M.W. Turner. The prize was first awarded in 1984.
A shortlist of nominees is released prior to the announcement of the winner, who is awarded £25000; the other artists shortlisted each receive £5000. In addition to presenting the prize, an exhibition is held presenting the work of all the nominees. The purpose of the prize, and its accompanying exhibition, is to promote and encourage public discussion of contemporary British art.
From 2011 onwards, the prize and its accompanying exhibition has been held in an art-space outside of London every other year. This year, it is being held in Glasgow. The four shortlisted artists for Turner Prize 2015 were: Assemble, Bonnie Camplin, Janice Kerbel and Nicole Wermers.
Turner Prize 2015 has served to strengthen Scotland’s position as an international centre for the production, promotion and presentation of contemporary visual art. Playing host to the Turner Prize acknowledges the significant role and visibility of Glasgow’s contemporary visual art scene and the respected position of Tramway both in the UK and Internationally. Importantly, it is an opportunity to make contemporary art more accessible and relevant to as wide a range of people as possible. By working with partners including the Traveling Gallery, the Turner Prize has engaged with audiences across Scotland, sustaining and developing the public’s relationship with contemporary art.
Turner Prize 2015 has also served to build on the achievements of GENERATION - a major, nationwide exhibition project which showcased some of the best and most significant art to have emerged from Scotland over the last twenty-five years. During that time Scotland developed an international reputation as a distinguished centre for contemporary art, producing a disproportionately high number of award-winning artists, hosting a number of ground-breaking exhibitions and fostering a sense of community across the sector.
Turner Prize 2015 is supported by partners including EventScotland, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Creative Scotland, and Glasgow Life.
Tramway and Glasgow
Tramway is a leading international art-space which commissions, produces and presents contemporary arts projects and has been at the heart of the changes that have seen Glasgow re-born as one of Europe’s leading centres for contemporary visual arts. Based in the south of the city and a former tram depot, Tramway has a high quality, agenda setting, experimental and dynamic programme; it is one of the most sought after and prestigious spaces in Scotland for artists to present new work. Tramway enjoys a very strong reputation for working closely with and being artist led in its approach.
Tramway's innovative approach to engagement and recent projects co-producing work with diverse, local audiences has increased participation, providing inclusive programmes which demystify contemporary art. The Turner Prize 2015 engagement and education programme will deliver a series of activities and events to inspire, challenge and support new and existing audiences to deepen their understanding of contemporary visual art.
Glasgow has fostered great strength and confidence in its artistic community, not least through the Glasgow School of Art and investment in world-class facilities where work can be produced and shown. The thriving creative community involves not just the visual arts but has a strong crossover with music and dance too.
