Glasgow has been named the host of the 2015 Turner Prize, beating out Manchester, Walsall and Nottingham to become the first Scottish city to host the prestigious arts contest.
‘All the shortlisted venues put forward compelling cases for hosting the Turner Prize in 2015 and each would bring unique qualities to it,’ Tate director Nicholas Serota told Scotsman.
‘The professionalism and vision of each bidding organisation was inspirational – all built on strong partnerships between visual art organisations, their local authorities, educational institutions and local communities.’
The event will be held in the city’s Tramway Arts Centre, a multi-arts venue which has contributed to Glasgow’s growing recognition as an arts and culture centre.
‘How appropriate that the venue for the exhibition should be Tramway which has played a seminal role in the promotion of artists and the visual arts at home and abroad over the last 25 years,’ director of Glasgow School of Art, Professor Seona Reid, said.
Although the city may never have hosted the event before, it is no stranger to the Turner Prize, having produced five previous Turner Prize winners including Martin Boyce, Richard Wright, Douglas Gordon, Susan Philipsz and Simon Starling. All of these artists, except Philipsz, were trained at the Glasgow School of Art.
Glasgow council leader Gordon Matheson also expressed his delight at the news, and the chosen venue.
‘Tramway has been described as an industrial cathedral that connects art with humanity and has a thriving global reputation as a producer and promoter of the most innovative work by Scottish and international artists,’ he said. ‘In bringing the Turner Prize to Tramway and Glasgow, we will build on that growing reputation – and following from the ambitious Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games cultural programme, hosting the Turner Prize will continue to build both audiences and interest in the very best in contemporary visual art.’
The Turner Prize, which was awarded to Elizabeth Price last year, is held outside of London every two years. It is known as one of Britain’s leading contemporary art prizes, annually awarded to a British artist under the age of 50 who has produced an outstanding exhibition of their work that year. Previous winners include Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley.
