Jonny Briggs, Natural Inside. Photo credit: Catlin
The sixth Catlin Art Prize kicks off next month at the Londonewcastle Project Space on Redchurch Street, Shoreditch. On the evening of May 16th, one of the ten finalists – Greta Alfaro, Gabriella Boyd, Poppy Bisdee, Jonny Briggs, Max Dovey, Tom Howse, Ali Kazim, Adeline de Monseignat, Soheila Sokhanvari or Julia Vogl – will be announced as the winner and awarded a check for £5,000.
The ceremony marks the culmination of a 12-month process. Each year, in the last week of May, I begin long-listing for a new volume of The Catlin Guide, the gorgeously-packaged book profiling 40 of the most exceptional new graduates from UK art schools. During the last round of BA, MA and MFA shows I must have clocked up 50 exhibitions, surveyed 2,000 artists and considered many, many more recommendations from course tutors, collectors, gallerists, curators, bloggers and critics. In my introductory notes to the 2012 edition of The Guide, I identify the key criteria for inclusion: the potential to shape the dynamic of contemporary art over the next decade and beyond. The desire to progress is crucial. A student might produce a knockout degree show but if there’s no inclination to make something better, they won’t make the cut. A series of studio visits throughout September and October help to determine the final 40 and, from that list, I’ll select the artists for the exhibition itself.
A student might produce a knockout degree show but if there’s no inclination to make something better, they won’t make the cut.
The exhibition isn’t a by-product of the book – the Catlin Art Prize came first – and The Guide was initially conceived as a means of illustrating the selection process for the show. Now The Guide has taken on a wider function; it’s an accurate overview of the ideas currently emerging from our art schools and it’s referenced by curators and potential art buyers. That ‘snapshot’ of current attitudes is also how I see the exhibition, albeit with greater emphasis on a smaller group of artists, one stage further in their careers. The line-up for the 2012 Prize is certainly representative, consisting of three painters, two artists working with photography, two sculptors/object makers, one film/installation artist and – in Max Dovey and Julia Vogl – two artists that perhaps defy traditional categorisation by combining elements of performance, installation and communal participation.
This focus on forward momentum feeds into the selection process for the exhibition and each finalist is asked to make a brand new body of work. For many of the artists, it’s a welcome opportunity to leave their previous collections behind; certain works are exhibited to death in the cluster of ‘best of’ shows and prizes that tend to follow each round of degree shows. But this can throw up its own predicaments and occasionally artists are unsure of just how far they should aim to leap (especially if a specific style or element in their previous work has been well received). I’ve seen artists fall into the trap of repeating successful work in order to appease collectors/galleries. It’s a dangerous situation and very much a short-term solution. I’m not advocating a dramatic change in style (these artists were selected largely on the merit of previous work) and it’s important for a new artist to retain recognisable traits, but the Prize encourages experimentation.
I’ve seen artists fall into the trap of repeating successful work in order to appease collectors/galleries. It’s a dangerous situation and very much a short-term solution.
The major paradox of an art prize, from a curatorial point of view, is that each work is competing with the next (not just in literal terms but also for the viewer’s undivided attention). Sure, there’s a strong argument that survey shows/prize exhibitions are, by nature, less curated than ‘themed’ group shows. Part of my job to infuse some kind of coherent dialog between the work without detracting from a certain piece or allowing one to become reliant upon another. This obviously has a bearing on which group of artists I select from The Guide. Nevertheless, as far as the judging process is concerned, each piece is appraised individually – which also means disregarding the context of previous work (you’d be surprised at how may artists naturally assume that each visitor/judge will have a comprehensive knowledge of their previous output). The Catlin Art Prize attracts a wide range of visitors and for some it’s the one and only art show they’ll see each year, so each work really does have to be a statement piece.
Thankfully, I manage to step aside from the judging process. It makes sense for a group of fresh eyes and clear minds to take care of that. This year we’ve also introduced a Visitors Vote and commissioned Julia Vogl to design a colour-coded ballot box. I’m genuinely intrigued to see if public opinion reflects that of the judges. The winner of the Visitors Vote will be announced on May 16th and the exhibition closes on May 25th. By that time I’d have been along to the Slade BA Fine Art show and started long-listing for the 2013 winner.
