Tomorrow's stars
Five young Canadian artists vie for the 2008 Sobey Art Award
On Oct. 1, one of five young Canadian visual artists will be given the Sobey Art Award in a gala presentation at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The annual award, sponsored by the Sobey Art Foundation and Scotiabank, recognizes Canadian artists under the age of 40 whose work has recently been exhibited in a public or commercial gallery.
Administered by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the award has been presented since 2006. A panel of curators from across Canada chooses the finalists, picking a representative from each of five different regions. The winner, also chosen by the panel, receives a $50,000 prize.
In advance of the award ceremony, CBCNews.ca takes a look at the nominees and their work. All five artists are currently featured in an exhibition at the ROM hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Culture. The show continues at the museum until Oct. 13.
1. Daniel Barrow
Region: Prairies and the North
City: Winnipeg
Media: Graphic performance/manual animation, using performance, video and installation.
Credentials: Barrow has exhibited widely in Canada and internationally. Recent showings include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, New Langton Arts in San Francisco and the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver.
Work pictured: Learning to Love the Normal Amount (2008), a multimedia installation involving 20 mixed-media collage drawings and an original musical score by Greg Goldberg.
2. Raphaëlle de Groot
Region: Quebec
City: Montreal
Media: Interventions, installations, performance, videos and artist books.
Credentials: De Groot has been exhibiting her work in Canada and Europe since 1996; in 2006, she received the Pierre-Ayot Prix d'excellence from the City of Montreal.
Work pictured: Portraits de clients (2007) — performance.
3. Mario Doucette
Region: Atlantic
City: Moncton, N.B.
Media: Drawing, painting, video and Super-8-mm film.
Credentials: An Acadian artist, Doucette has exhibited his work since 1998, in Canada and as part of international exhibitions in France, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He is a member of the Moncton artists collective Collectif Taupe.
Work pictured: 1755 Curling (2006) – pastel, ink, pencil and acrylic.
4. Terence Koh
Region: Ontario
City: Mississauga
Media: Sculpture, installation, performance and artist books
Credentials: Born in China and raised in Canada, Koh exhibits his work internationally. Showings in 2008 include Peres Projects in Los Angeles, the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon in Leon, Spain.
Work pictured: Raven Sits on Snowman Thinking of Earth from the Moon (2008) – mixed media installation consisting of 21 vitrines (composed of glass and glue), various objects and sphere (composed of Canadian oil sand, tar, fumed mica, fibreglass and flexible foam).
5. Tim Lee
Region: West Coast and Yukon
City: Vancouver
Media: Photography, video, text and sculpture.
Credentials: Korean-born Lee's work was at this year's Biennale of Sydney, Australia, and he received a solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, Texas. His work will also be exhibited in 2009 at the Hayward Gallery in London, England.
Work pictured: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)/Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), Neil Young, 1979 (2007) — C-print in two parts.
The Sobey Art Award winner will be announced Oct. 1.