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Comme Ca Art Prize North Winner Announced
Liverpool Video Artist Accepts £10,000 Prize... by Video
Message
Liverpool artist Paul
Rooney was last night (Wednesday October 8) announced
as the first winner of the £10,000 Comme Ca Art Prize
North 2003, thought to be the largest financial prize offered
by a UK commercial gallery.
The 36 year old from Walton could not
be at the announcement as he is currently artist-in-residence
at an arts centre in Havana, Cuba. However, organisers asked
him to record a victory message to be used in case he won,
and so he accepted the inaugural prize from former Turner
Art Prize winner Chris Ofili in a video - his chosen medium.
Rooney produces video, sound and performance
works often using interviews with people about their everyday
experiences in the course of their jobs, and sets these experiments
to music.
His winning entry of a three minute DVD
film entitled Flat 23: ‘Living Room, ‘Main Bedroom’
and ‘Second Bedroom’ featured three people speaking
simultaneously about each room and its décor and their
lifestyles within those rooms.
He beat off competition from a shortlist
of four other artists, including duo Cake and Neave from Sale,
Greater Manchester, Richard Talbot from North Shields, Tyne
and Wear, Sunderland’s David Mackintosh and Matthew Houlding
from Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
The jury, of Lewis Biggs, Director of
Liverpool Biennial; Sune Nordgren, Director of Baltic, The
Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; and Carol Maund, Director
of Site Gallery, Sheffield, were unanimous in their decision
praising Rooney’s work.
Chair of the jury, Stephen Snoddy, said:
“Paul Rooney’s ‘Flat 23’ engages the audience
through a multi-layered visual and sound work. It brings together
the voices of the family of ‘Flat 23’ who, through
a meditative chant, remember and describe their residence
and departure.
Paul Rooney’s work is often made
in collaboration with communities and focuses on everyday
experience. This is a work of remarkable imagination, eloquence,
honesty and integrity.”
Rooney, said he was delighted to be the
first winner of the prize, which was set up for artists living
and working or who have exhibited in the North, by Comme Ca
Art’s Director and gallery owner Claire Turner.
Via video link he said:
“I would like to thank a few people – Comme Ca Art
for setting up the prize, the judges for selecting me and
the other artists – particularly the artists I have met
who are all nice people! I am really chuffed to get the award
and would like to thank the people I have worked with or collaborated
with over the years. Thank you.”
The art prize, which was launched in February
and enjoyed over 300 entries, was awarded in association with
wallpaper manufacturers Graham & Brown.
Comme Ca Director Claire Turner, said:
“The response was excellent. The shortlist was made up
of wonderful talents and these, together with Paul’s
winning entry, will help the Comme Ca Art Prize achieve its
aim of bringing the art, artists and galleries associated
with the North of England to a wider audience.
All shortlisted work will now be shown
as part of the Finalists’ Exhibition, which will run
from October 9 to November 23 at the Comme Ca Art Gallery,
Timber Wharf, 24 Worsley Street, Castlefield, Manchester.
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