Artist Helen Marten wins 2016 Turner Prize

Not long after winning the big Hepworth Prize for Sculpture, 31-year-old artist Helen Marten was announced as the 2016 Turner Prize recipient. Regarded as one of the most prestigious visual art awards, the Turner Prize recognizes an emerging British artist under the age of 50 for outstanding exhibition or other form of presentation of their work in the preceding year. Last year's winner, Assemble, was an exception in that they have been the only architecture group to win the visual arts prize.

Born in Macclesfield, Helen Marten was nominated for her Lunar Nibs project at the 56th Venice Art Biennale and her Eucalyptus Let Us In solo exhibition at Green Naftali, New York.

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Marten was presented with the £25,000 Turner Prize during a ceremony at the Tate Britain. She ultimately won the jury's favor for her enigmatic sculptures that poetically reflect “the complexities and challenges of being in the world today”, the judges cited.  

Feeling ‘deeply honored’ about winning yet slightly embarrassed by all the public attention, Marten said that she would share her winnings with her fellow artist nominees. “Putting something here and seeing what the public perception of it is is very humbling and educational,” she told The Guardian. “[It] makes you think maybe my work is not universal, maybe the themes I’m employing are not immediately understandable.”

All four Turner Prize nominees — Anthea Hamilton, Josephine Pryde, and Michael Dean and Helen Marten — currently have their work on display at the Tate Britain until January 8.