Jasleen Kaur, an artist whose latest set up work focuses on her childhood rising up in a Sikh neighborhood in Scotland, on Tuesday gained the Turner Prize, the distinguished British artwork award.
The announcement was preceded by a small however noisy pro-Palestinian protest outdoors Tate Britain, the artwork museum in London the place the prize ceremony occurred.
As the award dinner started, about 100 activists gathered at Tate Britain’s steps and listened to speeches demanding that the Tate group of museums finish any affiliation with Israel, together with the high-profile donors Anita and Poju Zabludowicz. In a protest letter printed on-line, the activists mentioned the Zabludowiczes have “well-documented financial and ideological hyperlinks” to Israel’s authorities by way of the Tamares Group, the household’s actual property funding enterprise.
The letter’s signatories included Kaur and two of the opposite artists nominated for this yr’s Turner Prize, Claudette Johnson and Pio Abad.
While accepting the award onstage, Kaur, draped in a shawl in Palestinian colours, mentioned she supported the protesters and referred to as for Tate to finish ties with Israel. “It’s not a radical demand — this could not danger an artist’s profession or security,” she mentioned.
She then mentioned “Free Palestine” to cheers.
