Quaker-inspired artist on Turner Prize shortlist
The work was created in collaboration with local communities in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, to reflect on times of change and struggle during the pandemic.'
Rory Pilgrim, an artist with Quaker links, has been nominated for the Turner Prize 2023.
The multimedia artist joins three others announced by Tate Britain last week: Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, and Barbara Walker.
Nominated for his work at the Serpentine Gallery and Barking Town Hall, as well as a live performance at Cadogan Hall, London, Rory Pilgrim’s art interweaves stories, poems, music and film. The work was created in collaboration with local communities in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, to reflect on times of change and struggle during the pandemic. The jury praised the project as ‘a standout example of social practice’.
Connected to Quakers since he was fourteen, the Bristol-born artist has often cited the spiritual influence on his work, and has featured Quaker texts in his installations and films. In a 2012 interview, he said: ‘It is a very important part of my own personal history, after making a decision that I no longer wanted to be a part of the Anglican Church… The structures of Quakerism have naturally become interwoven with my work.’
One of his 2015 films, ‘Sacred Repository N.1: VIOLENTLY SPEAKING’, was inspired by a 1947 Quaker lecture by John W Harvey, ‘The Salt and The Leaven’, and features three Quakers from Utah. He has also started talks with passages from Quaker faith & practice, including: ‘In silence which is active, the Inner Light begins to glow – a tiny spark. For the flame to be kindled and to grow, subtle argument and the clamour of our emotions must be stilled.’ (2.12)
An exhibition of the Turner Prize nominees’ work will be held at Towner Eastbourne, East Sussex, from 28 September 2023 to 14 April 2024 as part of the gallery’s centenary celebrations. The winner will be announced on 5 December 2023 at an award ceremony in Eastbourne’s Winter Gardens.
