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Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
In a wide-ranging statement published on instagram yesterday, Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.), a group set up in London in 2018 to bring together “a community of queer, trans and non-binary Black and people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism,” noted the “exploitative practices” underpinning the Turner Prize and “prize culture” in general; accused Tate of failing to support artists whose work it displays; condemned the museum’s handling of sexual harassment accusations against one of its most important patrons as well as its response to strikes organised last year by Tate staff whose jobs were cut because of the pandemic.
In A First, Only Artist Collectives Are Shortlisted For Turner Prize 2021
May 10, 2021 12:16
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Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, UK.
Tate Britain has announced the shortlist for Turner Prize 2021: Array Collective, Black Obsidian Sound System, Cooking Sections, Gentle/Radical, and Project Art Works. An exhibition of their work will be held at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, UK, from September 29, 2021 to January 12, 2022, as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations. The winner will be announced on December 1, 2021, at an award ceremony at Coventry Cathedral covered on the BBC.
This is the first time a Turner Prize jury has selected a shortlist consisting entirely of artist collectives. All the nominees work closely and continuously with communities across the breadth of the UK to inspire social change through art. The collaborative practices selected for this year’s shortlist also reflect the solida
Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.) Photo: Theodorah Ndovlu, 2019
The 2021 Turner Prize shortlist, announced today, consists of five grassroots artist collectives which “work closely and continuously with communities across the breadth of the UK to inspire social change through art”, says a Tate statement. It is the first time that the Turner Prize shortlist has been made up entirely of artist collectives.
These include the London-based Black Obsidian Sound System (B.O.S.S.), a collective formed in 2018 whose aim is to “bring together a community of queer, trans and non-binary people of colour involved in art, sound and radical activism”. The jury highlighted B.O.S.S.’s live performances and their “commitment to community”, including an online 24-hour fundraising rave co-organised by collective members.