Second Hepworth Prize For Sculpture Exhibition Unveiled In October ________________________________
________________________________ In October 2018 the Hepworth Wakefield launches the second Hepworth Prize For Sculpture exhibition. This year’s shortlisted artists are Michael Dean, Mona Hatoum, Phillip Lai, Magali Reus and Cerith Wyn Evans. Each artist has created a new work for display in the exhibition.Launched in 2016 on the occasion of The Hepworth Wakefield’s 5th birthday, this £30,000 biennial award was established to recognise a British or UK-based artist of any age, at any stage in their career who has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary sculpture. The 2016 prize was awarded to Helen Marten.Simon Wallis, Director of The Hepworth Wakefield, said: ‘We created the Prize to encourage wider engagement and debate regarding sculpture – one of the most significant and rewarding visual art forms of our time. The breadth of work that will be on display explores the distinct approach to sculpture taken by each artist and it will allow our broad audience to experience the engaging richness of this powerful art form’. Michael Dean (b 1977) will present a new installation extending the investigations of his most recent work. Dean’s sculptures begin with his writing, which he translates into physical form – from letter-like human-scale figures in concrete and steel reinforcement to self-published books deployed as sculptural elements. His sculptures confront viewers with what he describes as ‘moments of intensity’ made from the matter of contemporary life – including doctored detritus, basic building materials, coins, crime scene tape, padlocks, and, most recently, the three-day food bank emergency allowance currently provided to a family of four in the UK.Michael Dean was born in 1977 in Newcastle Upon Tyne and now lives and works in London.In 2016, Dean was nominated for the Turner Prize and in 2017, he exhibited as part of the fifth edition of Skulptur Projekte Münster. In 2018, Dean will have a solo show at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead. In 2019, he will have a solo exhibition at the Museo Tamayo, Mexico City.
