On Friday 9 May the Liverpool Art Prize will once again return to the city for its 7th successive year. Managed by Metal, the Art Prize celebrates and nurtures the creative talent of artists based or born in the Liverpool region and this year 3 lucky entrants have been successfully shortlisted as finalists.
The exhibition runs for 6 weeks between 9 May – 21 June and returns to its original home at Edge Hill Station for 2014, after moving to the City Centre in 2013 as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of the historic Albert Dock. This year Metal are delighted to present the work of three artists, Brigitte Jurack, Tabitha Jussa and Jason Thompson, to coincide with the International Festival of Business’ Cultural Programme, IFB Culture. Each of the artists 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. Her entry intends to build upon this body of work by examining how other UK councils have dealt with mass displacement and empty housing with a view to a comparison between the UK, Europe and the rest of the globe.
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 18 June announcing the winners.
Jenny Porter, Project Manager at Metal Liverpool said: “The Liverpool Art Prize and Liverpool Art Month provide a platform for local artists to showcase their work, demonstrating the wealth of creative talent in the city. It is crucial to continue to support our creative communities and the Liverpool Art Prize is one way of recognising these talents while offering audiences an insight into the creative practices of people living and working here.”
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 9 June and the lucky winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 18 June. Application details are available on Metal’s website: www.metalculture.com
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 www.liverpoolartprize.com and www.metalculture.com