Spartacus Chetwynd, Odd Man Out, Sadie Coles, London, 05 May – 04 June 2011, inaugural performance 05 May.
Today, the London Tate Britain art gallery announced its shortlist of nominees for 2012’s Turner Prize, the prestigious British contemporary art competition.
The Turner shortlist is always a festival of controversy, sparking appreciation and derision in pretty much equal measures. Previous winners have included Grayson Perry, a transvestite potter, Chris Ofili’s elephant dung artwork, and Damien Hirst with his cows in formaldehyde and some guy who can switch lights on and off.
Let’s start off our tour of this year’s honorees with Spartacus Chetwynd, a 38-year-old female artist who changed her name from Lali when she turned 33, because, according to the BBC, she wanted “to remind people they have a choice in life.”
Chetwynd specializes in performance art, featuring home-made costumes and audience participation. She is shortlisted for her work Odd Man Out, showing at the Sadie Coles HQ gallery, which involves puppeteers, a mime and a giant inflatable slide. According to the gallery:
The five-hour performances revolve around ideas of democracy, the right to vote and the disincentives against engaging in politics. Giant photocopies work as barriers to divide the gallery into alternative routes, with voting booths at the start of the exhibition leading through to different performances. Be careful who you vote for in Odd Man Out as your vote has a literal effect on the outcome of your circumstance.
The Daily Telegraph reports her remarking: “Like my art, my name change annoys people. The moment it stops annoying people, I will rename myself again.”