Protesting the Turner Prize: is this the death of irony?

by Laurie Penny.

At a swish awards ceremony, the young artists of the future assembled to 
call out the hypocrisy of the rich.

"In the lowlit central hall of the Tate, the great and good have 
gathered for Britain's most prestigious art award; dealers and society 
belles are sipping champagne at black marble tables strewn with lilies, 
dressed in exquisite suits and designer dresses slashed to the thigh. 
The Turner Prize is an international by-word for gently baffling art, 
and its promotion of bland iconoclasts like Tracey Emin helped 
consolidate the self-reflexive iconography of the Blair era. This, 
believe it or not, was what radicalism in this country used to look like 
-- but over the tinkle of piped-in piano music and wry discussion of 
ironic sculpture, a real cry of protest has gone up. Cordoned off behind 
two ranks of makeshift barriers, the young artists of the future have 
assembled to call out the hypocrisy of the rich."

more...
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2010/12/turner-prize-art-young-future
 

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