The fifth opens 26 May and continues until 10 September at York Art Gallery. It is a platform for innovation and originality, showcasing the work of 16 shortlisted artists from locations across the world. From individual narratives to universal concerns, the artworks comment on contemporary culture and explore themes such as globalisation, perceptions of space and alienation in the digital age.
The shortlist includes Adam Basanta who will be exhibiting Curtain (white). Basanta uses readymade commercial technologies and communication devices, arranging these objects in ways which disrupt their economic functions and testing their potential as instruments of personal or mass communication.聽In Curtain (white), Basanta鈥檚 consider the ubiquitous white earbud headphone, an everyday device that creates an interior environment in which one can retreat from the external world. Within this personalised bubble, the headphones function as a visual 鈥渄o not disturb鈥 sign. The work plays on this notion by producing a three-metre-long 鈥渃urtain鈥 which sections the gallery space, both visually and sonically.
In photography, Judith Jones presents Rendezvous from her Twilight series. In this collection Jones examines the dialect between the outside and inside, commenting on the contrasts of private and public spaces. The 鈥渂lue hour鈥 of twilight takes us through the transition between day and night, maintaining an uncanny sense of unease. Documenting this fragile time frame presents a magical, filmic space that at once intrigues and fascinates, yet also evokes a lingering sense of fear.
Shadowplay by breadedEscalope is an interactive light installation, and the result of the artists鈥 experimentations with a certain type of void. By interacting with the state of darkness or 鈥渘othingness鈥, the artists discovered that the qualities of shadow are an actual material that can be manipulated and utilised, shifting into an emotionally affective clock. The viewer becomes the most essential component; when they touch the wall in the ring’s centre, the clock dims all the lights. Two spots appear that illuminate the index finger and cast two shadows that resemble the hands of a clock.
The exhibition also features Stephen Johnston鈥檚 painting Limes in Jar. The artist鈥檚 recent ventures have focused on reinterpreting still life: food slowly decaying in glass jars, burnt bottles, deconstructed cakes in jars, a bowl full of roadkill. These vivid images deal with the subject of mortality and reveal how Johnston sees all still life as a comment on death.
Other shortlisted artists are:聽Adam Niklewicz, Alinka Echeverr铆a, Dylan Martinez, Emmanuelle Moureaux, Jasmina Cibic, Julio Bittencourt, Lesley Hilling, Maryam Tafakory, Sara Morawetz, Stanza, Toby Dye and Webb-Ellis. Utilising a range of media, they work within the categories of Photographic & Digital Art; Painting, Drawing & Mixed Media; Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture. and Video, Installation & Performance.
Some of the shortlisted artists will be delivering a talk at York Art Gallery from 12:30 on 26 May, providing an opportunity to hear directly from leading practitioners working across the globe.聽There will also be a chance to connect with the shortlist and longlist at the special event Meet the Artists, part of the taking place 25-26 May at York St John University. Early booking is recommended.
Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition, 26 May – 10 September, York Art Gallery,聽Exhibition Square, York YO1 7EW. For opening times and admission details, visit聽
For more information on the Aesthetica Art Prize Shortlist, visit
To book tickets for the Symposium, visit
Credits
1. Judith Jones,聽Rendezvous.
