Chapman brothers 'sex up' Turner Prize

Tuesday, 28 October 2003 12:00 AM

The Turner Prize has yet again caused a tabloid frenzy with the opening of this year's exhibition of shortlisted artists at Tate Britain today. Some of the work on display is so controversial that the gallery has had to issue a warning stating that children under the age of 16 should not view it.

The shortlisted artists are Dinos and Jake Chapman, Willie Doherty, Anya Gallaccio, and Grayson Perry. And it is the Chapman brothers' bronze casting of a couple engaging in oral sex that has caused the biggest stir.

Grayson Perry's handling of issues such as paedophilia in his work, and Anya Gallaccio's use of real fruit that will rot by the time the prize is awarded, have also raised eyebrows.

Art critics have been scandalised by the Chapman brothers' decision to create a new piece of art by drawing on top of a valuable set of Goya etchings.

And the controversy is not restricted to the galleries, as Madonna showed two years ago when presenting the prize. The singer prompted a rebuke from the TV watchdog for using very strong language before the watershed during the live ceremony.

The £20,000 prize, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is awarded to a British artist under the age of 50 for an outstanding exhibition during the past year. It aims to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art - something which it does with some success if the number of column inches devoted to the prize are anything to go by.

Previous contenders have included Damien Hirst, whose winning exhibition focussed on animals preserved in formaldehyde, and Tracey Emin who exhibited her unmade and stained bed.

The prize has been berated for both its age limit and its apparent desire to shock in recent years, but Janice Hadlow, a spokesperson for the sponsor, Channel Four, stated that the exhibition allowed the public 'to sample work that's often controversial, sometimes outrageous, but never less than fascinating'.

The winner will be announced on December 7.

Tags: