Goldsmiths alumna wins Turner Prize 2018

Charlotte Prodger, a Goldsmiths, University of London alumna, has won this year’s Turner Prize.

The announcement was made at an awards ceremony held at Tate Britain on 4 December 2018 and broadcast live on the BBC.

Prodger was nominated for her solo exhibition BRIDGIT/Stoneymollan Trail at Bergen Kunsthall. The jury praised Prodger for the nuanced way in which she deals with identity politics, particularly from a queer perspective. Using a range of technologies from old camcorders to iPhones, her films build a complex narrative exploring relationships between queer bodies, landscape, technology, and time.

Prodger, an artist who lives and works in Glasgow, studied for a BA Fine Art at Goldsmiths 1997-2001. Previously she had received the Margaret Tait Award (2014) and Paul Hamlyn Award (2017).

Patrick Loughrey, Warden of Goldsmiths said: “It is a source of immense pride that Charlotte Prodger, a Goldsmiths graduate, has won this year’s Turner Prize and continues the College’s close association with one of the world’s premier art prizes. Charlotte is a thoroughly deserving winner and we hope that her example will inspire the next generation of young artists to push the boundaries of what art could and should be.”

The Turner Prize award is £40,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists. Forensic Architecture, an independent research agency based at Goldsmiths, was also on this year’s shortlist and was praised for developing highly innovative methods for sourcing and visualising evidence relating to human rights abuses around the world.

The 2018 jury comprises Oliver Basciano, art critic and International Editor at ArtReview; Elena Filipovic, Director, Kunsthalle Basel; Lisa Le Feuvre, Executive Director, Holt-Smithson Foundation; and Tom McCarthy, novelist and writer. The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain.

Prodger’s win means that eight Goldsmiths graduates or staff have gone on to win the coveted award including Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, and Laure Prouvost.