Preview: Gamble: Turner prize

Adrian Turpin
Friday 28 November 1997 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

It's Turner Prize time, and if that doesn't mean a trip to the Tate Gallery, it means a trip to the bookies. There may not be anything like a dead cert in the turf accountants' world, but according to Graham Sharpe of bookmakers William Hill, "the Turner Prize has a good record of favourites winning. More often than not, they've obliged over the years."

Leading the field, not surprisingly, is Goldsmith's graduate Gillian Wearing (2-1), whose video work includes "60 minutes silence", in which a group of police officers spend an hour trying to stay very, very still for the camera. Cornelia Parker (whose Embryo Firearms is featured right), and Christine Borland are joint second at 9-4. Parker's show-stopper is the burnt out remnant of a Kentucky church destroyed by lightning then hung on wires, while Borland's subject is the sometimes freakish human body: moulds of heads from a 1930s Germany medical collection and images inspired by the tale of a real life giant and dwarf. Bringing up the rear, at 9- 2, is Angela Bulloch whose brightly coloured bean bags and flashing lights do for Britart what Fischer Price did for pre-school toys.

The Eye's money is on Parker, but with this warning: to make the equivalent of the pounds 20,000 prize money, readers will have to stake the small matter of pounds 8,888.

Odds correct at time of going to press. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 2 Dec. The Turner Prize Live is on Channel 4, from 9pm. The Turner Prize exhibition is at the Tate Gallery, London SW1 to 18 Jan

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in