Turner Prize 2021, Array Collective wins: their work is an illegal pub

It is the Array Collective group that is the winner of the 2021 edition of the Turner Prize, the UK’s leading arts award, founded in 1984 and given annually to the best British artist (where “British” means either by birth or working primarily in the UK). The name of the prize pays homage to the great painter William Turner and awards a prize of £25,000 to the winner (who is decreed by an independent jury) and £5,000 to the finalists. Past winners have included Tony Cragg, Richard Long, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Wolfgang Tillmans, Gilbert & George, Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Steve McQueen, Rachel Whiteread, and Martin Creed.

This year’s winners were announced last Dec. 1 during an evening at Coventry Cathedral , Britain’s Culture Capital 2021. The jury awarded the prize to Array Collective, a note said, “for their dynamic and hopeful artwork that addresses pressing social and political issues affecting Northern Ireland with humor, seriousness and beauty. The jury was impressed by the way the Belfast-based Array Collective was able to translate their activism and values into the gallery environment, creating a welcoming, engaging and surprising exhibition. The jury praised all five nominees for their socially engaged artwork and for the ways in which they work closely and creatively with communities across the United Kingdom. The collaborative practices highlighted in this year’s shortlist also reflect the solidarity and generosity demonstrated in response to our divided times.”

The Array Collective is made up of Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell, Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell, Jane Butler, Emma Campbell, Alessia Cargnelli, Mitch Conlon, Clodagh Lavelle, Grace McMurray, Stephen Millar, Laura O’Connor, and Thomas Wells, and creates artworks that result in collective actions aimed at framing social problems in Northern Ireland today. The collective formed in 2016 and has addressed issues such as racism, gender identity, and traditional identities in humorous and playful ways, with performances, protests, photographs, installations, and videos. For the Turner Prize they imagined the work Druthaib’s Ball, described as a “celebration of life and death, a vigil for the centenary of the division of Ireland, which created the state of Northern Ireland.” The work is a reconstruction of a “síbin”(shebeen in English), or an illegal pub where alcohol is administered without a license, animated by performers who play traditional music, perform traditional dances, tell stories, and generally entertain the audience. “The síbin,” the collective explains, “is a place of contradictions, where trauma, dark humor, frustrations, ’craic’ (i.e., a moment of lightheartedness), and protests coexist under one roof, creating an immersive experience of collective catharsis.” The work Druthaib’s Ball aims to shape the complexities that connote Northern Ireland’s identity today, and is intended to celebrate the personal experiences of “existence and resistance” of the collective’s members.

“The Array Collective are artists and activists, each member bringing their own practice and potential to make art together and protest,” writes curator Alice O’Rourke. “Working together with other activists and artists, the Arrays’ practice is rooted in solidarity, carried out through public interventions, rallies, exhibitions and creative banner workshops to ensure a more inclusive and just future. Each member of the Array is obviously and deeply involved in the social and political context of which they are a part in Northern Ireland. Play and humor play an important role in their activism, evolving from a set of rules that the Arrays adopt, share and use. They have three house rules: welcome, host and treat others in a friendly and supportive manner; go out and campaign with local activist groups; and make ’geg’ (Northern Irish term for ’laugh’). These rules act like a musical score, capturing the essence of the Arrays and the modal range of working together. The paradox of creating rules to enact play, activism and fun underlies their non-hierarchical informality, embodying the spirit and many parts that make up the Array ensemble.”

For the first time, this year’s Turner Prize jury selected a shortlist composed entirely of artist collectives and artist-run projects-Aray Collective, Black Obsidian Sound System, Cooking Sections, Gentle/Radical and Project Art Works. Turner Prize 2021 jury members are Aaron Cezar (Director, Delfina Foundation), Kim McAleese (Program Director, Grand Union), Russell Tovey (actor), Zoé Whitley (Director, Chisenhale Gallery). The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, director, Tate Britain. The works of the five Turner Prize finalist collectives are on display at The Herbert Art Gallery & Music in Coventry until January 12, 2022. Admission is free. The exhibition is a highlight of the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations. The Turner Prize 2021 is supported by the AKO Foundation, Avanti West Coast and Arts Council England, with additional support from ArtAV, The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Uggla Family Foundation.

Pictured is the counter at Druthaib’s Ball with the Array Collective.

Turner Prize 2021, Array Collective wins: their work is an illegal pub

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