London’s Tate Gallery yesterday announced four nominees short-listed for its prestigious Turner Prize, and enterprising bookies in the U.K. have already laid down the odds for Zarina Bhimji, Nathan Coley, Mike Nelson and Mark Wallinger to scoop the $50,000 prize and the glory that goes with it.
Wallinger leads the pack at 11-10, according to the Financial Times, with his carefully crafted replica of Parliament Square. Bhimji is a long-shot at 5-1, but her photos and films documenting Asians thrown out of her native Uganda by Idi Amin deserve a wider audience.
Of course, treating artists as if they were racehorses is completely ludicrous. And, it seems, the favorite hardly ever wins the Turner anyway. Therefore, my money is on Nelson and Coley, who are in the middle of the pack at 3-1.
Nelson (Amnesiac Shrine, pictured above, left) was cited for his immersive installations that transport the viewer to imaginary yet plausible worlds. He was previously the favorite for the prize in 2001, when he built an immense, 16-room installation at the 2001 Venice Biennale addressing that city’s history, geography and architecture.
Coley (Camouflage Church, pictured above, right) uses cardboard to make camouflage mosques, churches and synagogues covered in blue and white striped warship tape from World War II.
I can almost hear the bugle calling, but the winner won’t be announced until December 3.
