Helen ‘honoured’ to land spot on Turner Prize judging panel

A LONDON based curator and writer who is from Shetland has been selected as one of four judges for the 2023 Turner Prize.

Helen Nisbet, who originally hails from Cullivoe in Yell, said she was “honoured” to be on the jury.

She is the artistic director for the nationwide biannual contemporary festival Art Night, as well as a non-executive director of Shetland arts organisation Gaada.

“The Turner Prize is one of the most renowned contemporary art prizes in the world,” Nisbet told Shetland News.

“Being nominated, let alone winning, makes a huge impact on an artist’s career.

“At at time when cuts to the arts are brutal, the importance of this prize and continuing to champion the role of artists in our society is more important than ever.”

While she is based in London for work, she said she still spends a lot of time in Shetland with her family.

The highly respected Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art.

Established in 1984, the prize is awarded annually to an artist born, living or working in Britain for an outstanding exhibition or public presentation of their work anywhere in the world in the previous year.

Each year an expert jury is formed to select a shortlist of artists, whose work will provide a vital public platform for emerging British artists.

The Turner Prize winner will be awarded £25,000 with £10,000 given to the other shortlisted artists. The 2023 ceremony is taking place in Eastbourne next December.

Joining Nisbet on the judging panel will be Camden Art Centre director Martin Clark, curator of CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux Cédric Fauq and Wellcome Collection director Melanie Keen.