Takahashi's 'found art' on shortlist for Turner Prize

June 14, 2000
Web posted at: 2:36 PM EDT (1836 GMT)

LONDON (Reuters) -- After years of soiled underwear, elephant dung and pickled sheep, Britain's Turner Prize gave rubbish another chance on Wednesday.

The shortlist for one of the world's most controversial art prizes included Japan's Tomoko Takahashi who creates art out of used everyday objects.

"Presenting rubbish as art is seen as a Turner Prize tradition and this year is no exception," Charlotte Mullins, the editor of Art Review magazine, told Reuters.

The other artists shortlisted for the 20,000-pound ($30,110) prize are British conceptual painter Glenn Brown, Dutch painter and embroiderer Michael Raedecker -- tipped by Mullins to win the prize -- and German art photographer Wolfgang Tillmans.

But Japan's Takahashi is sure to steal the limelight despite an aversion to having her photo taken.

"Takahashi will be the Tracy Emin of the show because her work is rubbish -- literally," Mullins said. "But it is fun."

In 1999 Emin's main exhibit was an unmade bed surrounded by champagne corks, used condoms and soiled underwear.

In the past critics have said the award penalizes mainstream artists and rewards "gimmicks."

But Ben Rawlingson Plant, a spokesman for Tate Britain which organizes the event, said this year's shortlist was not a typical Turner Prize line-up.

"It is quite unusual to have two painters, especially when we've had a succession of video and three-dimensional works."

"Three of the artists weren't born in the UK which is also interesting. It's wonderful that London can be seen as this great melting pot," Plant added.

The prize is awarded to artists under 50 years of age who live and work in Britain and have had an exhibition or other presentation of their work in the year until May 31, 2000, Plant said.

Controversy has dogged the prize, which is designed to promote public discussion of contemporary British art, since its inception in 1984.

Takahashi's effort pales into insignificance against 1998's elephant dung-marked Virgin Mary painting by Chris Ofili or Damien Hirst's winning contribution in 1995 of a cow and calf cut in half and pickled in formaldehyde.

The winner will be announced on November 28 and work by the artists will be shown at Tate Britain from October 25 until January 14, 2001, the organizers said.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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