The Kilkenny Arts Festival has congratulated the Scottish artist Susan Philipsz in winning this year’s Turner Prize.
Susan exhibited her work at this year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival and talked about her work to a very engaged audience. Festival CEO, Damian Downes, expressed his delight at the news by describing Susan’s work as “one of the highlights of this or any other festival in our long and proud history. “
The announcement was made at Tate Britain on December 6 in a live broadcast on Channel 4 News. The £25,000 prize was presented by Miuccia Prada.
Born in 1965 in Glasgow, Susan studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee and The University of Ulster. She currently lives and works in Berlin.
“We know from our research that the visual arts programme is the single biggest reason why people travel to Kilkenny during festival time so it is vital that we continue to invest in artists of calibre of Susan Philipsz.”
An innovative artist, Philipsz uses her own voice in her art pieces to create uniquely evocative sound installations. The installations play upon and extend the poetics of specific, often out-of-the-way spaces.
The Turner Prize is a contemporary art award that was set up in 1984 to celebrate new developments in contemporary art. The prize is awarded each year to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding.
