Artes Mundi - A new kind of Art Prize?

Did you know that:

• the biggest contemporary art prize in the UK is the Artes Mundi - or that it is worth £40,000?
• that the exhibition is held in Cardiff and not London?
• the winning piece is called A Complicated Relationship between Heaven and Earth or When We Believe.
• the £40,000 Prize was won this week by a Chicago based artist and social activist called Theaster Gates....?
• ....who promptly shared his prize money with the nine other shortlisted artists?
• ...and was rated by Art Review as the 44th most influential person in the art world in the Power 100 in 2014 

Do watch the video, it's a slow start but stick with it.


Artes Mundi 6 Artist Film - Theaster Gates from Artes Mundi on Vimeo.

Here are some facts and some links which tell you about Artes Mundi and this year's shortlist and winner.

Images of Artes Mundi from the Facebook Page
the chap sitting on the podium (top left) is Theaster Gates

Artes Mundi Facts

Whilst there is no single overarching theme, at the heart of Artes Mundi is a desire to present art which directly engages with people's lives and with what it means to be human, exploring social themes from across the globe but which also resonate locally and touch all our lives.

• The competition is held every other year
• The 9 artists were short listed from over 800 international nominations from 70 countries. The shortlist comprised:
• Carlos Bunga (Portugal), 
• Karen Mirza and Brad Butler (UK), 
• Omer Fast (Israel),
• Theaster Gates (USA), 

Theaster Gates' practice includes sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions that aim to bridge the gap between art and life. He works as an artist, curator, urbanist and facilitator, and his projects attempt to instigate the creation of cultural communities by acting as catalysts for social engagement that leads to political and spatial change.

• Sanja Iveković (Croatia), 
• Ragnar Kjartansson (Iceland), 
• Sharon Lockhart (USA), 
• Renata Lucas (Brazil), 
• Renzo Martens and the Institute for Human Activities (The Netherlands)
• the exhibition of their artwork is spread across three different locations in Cardiff and Penarth
• works place a significant emphasis on photography, film and sculpture/installation art
• The exhibition continues in Cardiff at the National Museum Cardiff, Chapter Arts Centre and ffotogallery until 22nd February 2015.

Works by 10 international artists fill three venues in Cardiff and Penarth in this uneven but fascinating show. It doesn’t get the publicity of the Turner prize, it doesn’t insist on new work, and few of the artists have previously had major UK shows. The Guardian

More information about Theaster Gates

visual artist, social activist, urban planner, musical performer, teacher

• Theaster Gates ranked 40th in the Art Review of the 100 most influential people in the art world last year
• Gates has two degrees in urban planning. His focus is on urban regeneration and community development.
• He buys dilapidated houses and turns them into small cultural centres and meeting spaces
• An article in the Guardian just before the exhibition opened Theaster Gates, the artist whose latest project is regenerating Chicago
• This is a 2012 article in The Art Newspaper - Inside the house that Theaster built
• Article in the New Yorker about high concept renewal - The Real Estate Artist  
• This is Theaster Gates @ The White Cube
• BBC: 
• Chicago artist takes home £40,000 Artes Mundi prize
• Artes Mundi winner Theaster Gates to share prize money - do watch the video
• ArtNetNews - Theaster Gates Splits Artes Mundi Prize Winnings with Nominees

More information about Artes Mundi

Renzo Martens speaks out about #ArtesMundi6 winner Theaster Gates' decision to split the prize money. pic.twitter.com/NxpwtX0a43
— ArtesMundi (@ArtesMundi) January 23, 2015

• This is the new Director Karen Mackinnon providing Artes Mundi: the director’s tour
• The Guardian: Artes Mundi review – chocolate heads, psychosexual drama and donkey toys
• The Independent Artes Mundi: Why can't the Turner Prize be more like this?
• BBC - Can Artes Mundi top Turner Prize? includes a video by Will Gomprtz

Note: Artes Mundi, the organisation behind the prize and exhibition, is an international arts organisation committed to supporting ground breaking, international, contemporary, visual artists whose work engages with social reality and lived experience. The organisation is publicly funded by the Arts Council of Wales and by Cardiff City Council and runs a sustained programme of outreach and learning projects throughout the year.