Saturday 12 May 2007

Turner Prize Nominees

Brian Haw, Mark Wallinger & Co - State BritainIf you fancy a groan at the appalling piffle nominated for this year's Turner Prize, click the title link. Mark Wallinger's State Britain is the best known. This eyesore was designed and erected by anti-war campaigner Brian Haw in Parliament Square. All Wallinger did was photograph the eyesore, before the fuzz unlawfully confiscated most of it, and then persuade a gang of art students and hangers-on to recreate it for his Tate exhibition. State Britain isn't an original work. It's a copy of Brian Haw's creation. Like it or loath it, if anyone deserves the £25,000 prize money it is its creator Brian Haw, NOT copycat Wallinger.

4 Comments:

At 13/5/07, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Its un-believable that even copy-cats can get reconigition(sp) andbe paid for it, I always thought one got into serious trouble for copy-right unless freely given..

 
At 13/5/07, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi, Robyn
I guess so long as he got Brian Haw to sign a piece of paper, it's legal. I know he had to track down various copyrights. Banksy gave his permission for the ban-the-bomb picture to be used (that's on the Tate Britain website).
But that's the legal bit. I absolutely agree with you that it should be impossible to win a prize - especially a huge money prize - for copying somebody else's work. What example does this set?

 
At 14/5/07, Blogger jafabrit said...

wow! well, err, not sure what to say, except I agree with your view.

 
At 14/5/07, Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks, Jafabrit. Glad to hear it.
Of course he hasn't won the Turner Prize yet, but I think his nomination should have been rejected at the outset. It's bad enough that Tate Britain paid him to copy somebody else's work! To be even considered for a major art prize....

 

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