3rd March 2006 — 14th January 2007
Tomma Abts is the winner of this year's Turner Prize. Rigorous and consistent Abts' paintings lack subject matter or reference. Apparently, they can take years to complete and the outcome is unknown to the artist until they are finished. Shown here is a group of thirteen paintings made over the last five years, they have a slow, empty sameness to them. Each one gives nothing away and seems to act as a negative so that the walk around the room increasingly disheartening and draining. Only the third woman to win the Turner Prize (after Rachel Whiteread in 1994 and Gillian Wearing in 1998), Abts has beaten Phil Collins, Mark Titchner and Rebecca Warren to this year's £25,000 prize money. While the fun of asking who should win against who will win has been removed by the announcement, there's still a lot to be said for questioning the decision that's been made.
RL