Judges praise ‘beautiful intricacy’ of winner’s artpublished at 20:21 GMT
20:21 GMT
Ian Youngs
Culture reporter
Image source, EPA
The Turner Prize judges were impressed by the “really
compelling sculptures and drawings that could only be made by Nnena”,
according to the jury chairman, Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson.
Her drawings, which come in sets of two or three
near-identical shapes, have “a beautiful intricacy to them” and
“look like swirling vortexes”, he says.
Her sculptures, meanwhile, are hanging shapes covered in
reams of repurposed materials including fabric, rope, parcel tape, cling film
and paper.
They resemble three-dimensional versions of abstract
expressionist paintings, Farquharson adds. “But they’re not paintings,
they’re not flat on the wall. They’re suspended in the space that you’re in,
like brightly coloured rocks or creatures.
“They’re at almost your eye level. Although there are
no figurative features at all, they appear to be communing among themselves and
with you.
“The use of materials is highly unusual, including
video tape that gets wrapped round and round.
“The colours and the lines the materials make are very
like brush marks translated into three dimensions. They’re very gestural,
they’re very expressive, they’re very compelling.”