Turner Prize winner backs Gaza protesters at Tate Britain

Glasgow-born artist Jasleen Kaur has used her Turner Prize acceptance speech to call on Tate to sever ties with organisations that she said are complicit in the “genocide of the Palestinian people”.

Kaur, who won the award ahead of Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson and Delaine Le Bas, said she supported protesters who were outside Tate Britain during the prize-giving ceremony.

“I want to echo the calls of the protesters outside – a protest made up of artists, culture workers, Tate staff and students who I stand firmly with,” Kaur said.

“They have gathered to make visible the demands of the open letter that has been signed, when I last checked, by 1,310 signatories in just a week calling for you, Tate, to sever ties with organisations complicit in what the UN and the ICJ are finally getting closer to saying is a genocide of the Palestinian people.

“This is not a radical demand, this should not risk an artist’s career or safety,” Kaur continued. “We are trying to build consensus that the ties to these organisations are unethical, just as artists did with Sackler.

“I have been wondering why artists are required to dream up liberation in the gallery but when that dream meets life we are shut down. I want the separation between the expression of politics in the gallery and the practice of politics in life to disappear. I want the institution to understand that if you want us inside you need to listen to us outside.”

The letter Kaur referred to, which was written by a working group made up of artists and artworkers ahead of the award ceremony, has been signed by two of the other Turner Prize shortlisted artists – Abad and Johnson.

It has also been signed by a number of past Turner Prize nominees, winners and judges including the Array Collective, Charlie Prodger, Duncan Campbell, Ingrid Pollard, Irene Aristizabal, Jesse Darling and Sam Thorne.

Tate has not commented on Kaur’s remarks.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the prize, which is named after British painter JMW Turner (1775-1851). Kaur, who is 38 years old and lives and works in London, was given £25,000 for winning the award. The three other shortlisted artists received £10,000 each.

The Turner Prize 2024 is supported by The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Uggla Family Foundation.

The members of the Turner Prize 2024 jury are Rosie Cooper, director of Wysing Arts Centre; Ekow Eshun, writer, broadcaster and curator; Thorne, director general and CEO at Japan House London; and Lydia Yee, curator and art historian. The jury is chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson.

The exhibition was curated by Linsey Young, former curator, contemporary British art at Tate and Amy Emmerson Martin, assistant curator, contemporary British art. Also involved were Sade Sarumi, curatorial assistant, contemporary British art and exhibition assistant Laura Laing.

Next year’s Turner Prize will be held at Cartwright Hall in Bradford as part of the 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations.

The January/February 2025 issue of Museums Journal will include a feature on the 40^th anniversary of the prize