Margate’s Turner Contemporary To Host Turner Prize In 2019

Turner Contemporary Margate

The Turner Prize, one of the world’s most coveted prizes for contemporary art will be held in 2019 at Turner Contemporary in Margate.
The Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. Every other year, the prize leaves Tate Britain and is presented at a venue outside London. In 2019 it will be presented at Turner Contemporary which, since opening in 2011, has had a catalytic effect on social and cultural regeneration in Kent, and has established an international reputation.

This is a truly transformative opportunity for Margate to be part of something which invites conversations on an international scale – Victoria Pomery

Victoria Pomery OBE, Director of Turner Contemporary said: ‘We are thrilled to host the Turner Prize here at Turner Contemporary in 2019. This is a truly transformative opportunity for Margate to be part of something which invites conversations on an international scale, connecting our audiences to outstanding contemporary art and inspiring future generations of creative talent. It seems, even more, fitting to host the prize here in Margate on the site where JMW Turner was so inspired. We look forward to working with our existing and new stakeholders and colleagues at Tate on this exciting initiative.’
Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain and Chair of the Turner Prize jury said ‘Turner Contemporary is an exceptional venue with ambitious exhibition and public engagement programmes. It has helped revitalise south-east Kent, and the area is also now home to an exciting artist-led scene. The gallery’s associations with Turner have particular resonance, as Turner was an innovator in his day, and we are delighted that the prize will be presented in Kent. We are looking forward to working with colleagues in Margate.’
The Turner Prize has previously been shown in Liverpool in 2007, Gateshead in 2011, Derry in 2013 and Glasgow in 2015. Turner Prize 2017 will be at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull as part of the 2017 UK City of Culture celebrations from 26 September 2017 to 7 January 2018.
Established in 1984, the Turner Prize is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the previous twelve months. The Turner Prize award is £40,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists.
Turner Contemporary in Margate is one of the most distinctive galleries in the UK; its impact stretches beyond culture-led regeneration and the showcasing of world-class exhibitions, to pioneering change by making the arts more vital and connected to daily life.
Turner Contemporary’s Summer season Every Day Is A New Day opens on Friday 26 May and runs until 24 September 2017. It celebrates the importance of art and creativity, its capacity to empower all of us and make positive change. The season brings together works by British sculptor Phyllida Barlow in an ARTIST ROOMS exhibition, British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage in the exhibition Peace Coma, the work of JMW Turner, and artwork by young people from Kent and Africa. Beyond the gallery, primary school children will transform neglected sites in the town, as part of the unique Art Inspiring Change programme.
Since opening in 2011, Turner Contemporary has generated £50 million for the local economy (£8.9m generated in financial year 2015/16). The venue has attracted over 2.3 million visitors.

Photo: P C Robinson © Artlyst 2017

 

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