BRITAIN:JUDGES FOR the Turner prize, Britain's most important contemporary art award, yesterday revealed this year's four shortlisted artists as Runa Islam, Goshka Macuga, Cathy Wilkes and Mark Leckey. None of the artists is very well known and none can be easily compartmentalised.
Stephen Deuchar, Tate Britain director and this year's judging chairman, conceded that people might find the work of the artists challenging or even difficult.
"The audience for contemporary art is more sophisticated and they don't necessarily want their art to have a punchline," he said. "Works of art are often more investigations or journeys which take the audience with them."
For the first time in 10 years women outnumber men, although it was the lone male, Mark Leckey, who was quickly installed as bookies' favourite. Described as a "modern-day dandy" Leckey has used clips and stills from Disney cartoons, the Simpsons and Titanic in his art and seems, the judges say, to have had "an obsession with Felix the Cat".
The winner of the £25,000 prize will be announced at Tate Britain on December 1st.
- (Guardian service)