Defining trends that mark the Turner Prize shortlist

The two painters, Karla Black and George Shaw, are joined by video artist Hilary Lloyd and sculptor Martin Boyce on the 2011 prize shortlist. According to one of the prize jurors, Katrina Brown, the list was necessarily not representative of ‘one particular school, or cluster, or any movement as every medium is there in the mix. As the juror proclaims, it has a touch of maturity and diversity about it.

Quite in contrast to the shortlists of the 1990s that were largely dominated young British artist, the trend seems to have changed a bit. This was when the epicenter of British artistic life seemed to be lying the few square miles just around Shoreditch. Now the list is decidedly non-metropolitan. As is evident, only one of the four artists is based in London, namely – the Newcastle Polytechnic-trained Hilary Lloyd.

George Shaw, who completed his art education in Sheffield, now lives and works in Devon. On the other hand, Kara Black and Martin Boyce are from Glasgow – the city from where the last two winners of the Turner Prize, painter Richard Wright and sculptor Susan Philipsz emerged. The director of Tate Britain and also chair of the Turner jury, Penelope Curtis states the Glaswegian focus was a testimony to the strength and focus of the training made available in the 1990s at Glasgow School of Art.

Katrina Brown defines it as a clear sign of the maturity of the UK art scene, which is not any more concentrated in the capital city alone. Indeed, the whole prize dynamics will in a way turn its back on the prime art center this year. As if in keeping with the trend the annual Turner prize exhibit, will be held at the Baltic gallery located in Gateshead. (The show opens on 21 October.) In fact, it’s the first time ever in the prestigious show's more than 25-year old history that it has been hosted outside a Tate gallery and just the second occasion it has been carried outside the British capital.