ANTONY GORMLEY AND YINKA SHONIBARE CHOSEN FOR FOURTH PLINTH
Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare, MBE have been selected as the winning artists of the next two commissions for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Gormley's proposal 'One and Other' is for the Fourth Plinth to be occupied for 100 consecutive days, 24 hours a day, by members of the public who have volunteered to stand on it for an hour at a time. Over this period 2,400 people will be able to participate. Shonibare's proposal 'Nelson's Ship in a Bottle' will be a scale replica of Nelson's ship, HMS Victory, in a giant glass bottle with sails made of patterned textiles commonly associated with Africa and bought from Brixton market in London. Shonibare says his piece will reflect the story of multiculturalism in London today: 'For me it's a celebration of London's immense ethnic wealth, giving expression to and honouring the many cultures and ethnicities that are still breathing precious wind into the sails of the UK.'
JUDGES ANNOUNCED FOR THE SAATCHI GALLERY AND CHANNEL 4'S NEW SENSATIONS COMPETITION
The judges for the 2008 New Sensations competition for graduates will be the artist Yinka Shonibare, gallerist Maureen Paley, critic and broadcaster Matthew Collings, David Roberts, collector and founder of Gallery one one one. New Sensations was launched in 2007 by Channel 4 and The Saatchi Gallery to find the most imaginative and talented artists graduating in the UK and to support students leaving art college. An exhibition of 20 shortlisted artists chosen by the judges will take place at The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane in London during Frieze Week in October. The four finalists of the competition will be given a £1000 bursary to make a new work to present at the exhibition, and each of these 'New Sensations' will have a 3 Minute Wonder Channel 4 film made about them which will also be aired in October. The deadline for entries is 6pm Friday 27 June.
INDIAN ARTISTS TO HEADLINE SOTHEBY'S LONDON SALES
This summer's major series of Contemporary Art sales at Sotheby's in London will feature exciting works by leading Indian Contemporary artists. The sales in London on Tuesday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 2 will present a total of eight works by highly sought-after artists such as Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Anish Kapoor, Raqib Shaw and T.V. Santhosh. Together the works are estimated in excess of £2 million. The sale will also include a work by Pakistan's leading Contemporary artist, Rashid Rana. Highlights include Subodh Gupta's untitled photo-realist painting of a vessel stall at sunrise from 2005, which is estimated at £200,000-300,000; Bharti Kher's sculpture, 'Misdemeanours', which is estimated at £40,000-60,000; an untitled sculpture from 2003 by Anish Kapoor, which has an estimate of £1-1.5 million; and Raqib Shaw's 'Chrysanthemum & Bee (after Kotsushika Hokusai)', which is estimated at £80,000-120,000.
STEVE McQUEEN CHOSEN TO REPRESENT BRITAIN AT THE 2009 VENICE BIENNALE
The British Council has announced that Steve McQueen has been selected as the artist to represent Britain at the 53rd Venice Biennale next year. McQueen was chosen by the Selection Committee of 11 leading arts professionals to present a solo exhibition in the British Pavilion open to the public from 7th June to 22nd November, 2009.
FRANCIS UPRITCHARD AND JUDY MILLAR TO REPRESENT NEW ZEALAND AT THE 2009 VENICE BIENNALE
London-based Christchurch sculptor Francis Upritchard and Auckland-based abstract painter Judy Millar will represent New Zealand at the Venice Biennale next year. Upritchard, born in 1976, has has solo shows in Auckland, London and New York, and in 2006 she won New Zealand's prestigious $50,000 Walters Award. Millar is one of New Zealand's most widely exhibited painters.
PRIZES
Martin Parr has won the PHotoEspaña Baume & Mercier Award 2008 in recognition of his professional career and his influence on contemporary photography.
Fergus Binns has won the Metro Five Art Award, Australia's largest prize for young artists. Binns's painting, 'Mount Kosciuszko with Receding Snow Dome', won him the prize of forty thousand Australian dollars ($38,171).
APPOINTMENTS
The Dia Art Foundation has named Philippe Vergne, deputy director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, as its new director.
Susanne Gaensheimer is the new director of Frankfurt's Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK).
Bige Örer has been appointed the Director of the International Istanbul Biennial.
Elizabeth C. Baker, the editor of Art in America magazine, has resigned with immediate effect. Marcia E. Vetrocq, who joined Art in America in 1998 as a senior editor, will take over as editor. Baker will become editor at large in charge of special projects, which will include book publishing and website development.
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