Turner Prize 2004: Jeremy Deller

Jeremy Deller wins the Turner Prize 2004 The Turner Prize 2004 has been awarded to Jeremy Deller, it was announced at Tate Britain this evening. The £25,000 prize, sponsored for the first time in a three-year partnership with Gordon’s gin, was presented by broadcaster and Tate Trustee Jon Snow. With Gordon’s support this year’s prize fund has been increased to £40,000 with £5,000 each being awarded to the other shortlisted artists. The prize ceremony was broadcast live on Channel 4.

Jeremy Deller was shortlisted for Memory Bucket, a mixed-media installation at ArtPace, San Antonio, documenting his travels through the state of Texas. In awarding Deller the prize the jury praised his generosity of spirit across a succession of projects which engage with social and cultural contexts and celebrate the creativity of individuals. Find out more about Jeremy Deller and watch a clip of Memory Bucket online.

The jury stressed the strength of the exhibition at Tate Britain and wished to record their respect for the outstanding presentations produced by all four artists.

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller was born in London in 1966 and studied art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Collaboration and participation are central to Deller’s work. As he explains, ‘A good collaboration is like going on a long journey without a map, never knowing quite where you will end up’. He acts as curator, producer or director of a broad range of projects, including orchestrated events, films and publications, which draw attention to forms of culture on the fringes of the mainstream or reveal hidden histories. He currently lives and works in London.

He is perhaps best-known for The Battle of Orgreave, ‘a piece of living history’ which was a commissioned by Art Angel in 2001. This work brought together veteran miners and members of historical re-enactment societies who restaged the controversial clash between miners and the police during 1984-5. This collaboration resulted in a film, a book and an audio recording, which all function to resurrect the raw emotions from the period and provide a fresh account of events that have been distorted by the media.

Deller’s recent projects have explored the cultural landscape of specific places. In A Social Parade he celebrated the diversity of San Sebastian in Spain by inviting a cross-section of the city’s social groups to form a parade along the central boulevard. His film Memory Bucket 2003 uses documentary techniques to explore the state of Texas, focusing on two politically charged locations: the site of the Branch Davidian siege in Waco and President Bush’s home town of Crawford. Archive news footage is collaged with interviews, juxtaposing official reports with personal narratives.

Deller has also consistently explored the cultural and political heritage of Britain. For his new series of photographs, he has made and commissioned a variety of memorials to key individuals and events in recent history, including an official bench near Beatles' manager Brian Epstein’s house in Belgravia, and a road sign to commemorate the death of a cyclist.

Jährliche Verleihung durch Tate Gallery´s Patrons of New Art Dotierung: 20.000 £

The Turner Prize is the UK’s most prestigious art award and is awarded annually to a British artist under the age of fifty. Visit the exhibition at Tate Britain to judge for yourself who should win this year’s illustrious prize, then watch the award ceremony live on Channel 4 at 20.00 on 6 December to see if you agree with the Jury’s decision.

This year’s shortlisted artists are: Kutlug Ataman was born in Istanbul and has been based in London for over 5 years. He is known for his video installations, often featuring more than one screen, which document the life of unusual individuals. Ataman spent over a year creating his film ‘The Four Seasons of Veronica Read’ which followed the life of a woman with an extraordinary obsession with amaryllis flowers.

Jeremy Deller has been nominated for ‘Memory Bucket’, his work made during a trip to Texas in 2003. Deller used a range of materials including film and photography to reflect the various encounters on his travels through the state. These include meeting with a survivor from the infamous Waco siege, a visit to George Bush's favourite diner and a stunning sequence showing 3 million bats escaping a cave at sunset.

Langlands & Bell have been working together for over 25 years. They are nominated for their exhibition ‘The House of Osama bin Laden’ which featured an interactive computer animation of the small house in Afghanistan in which bin Laden lived during the 1990s. It is a virtual walk-through which shows the now deserted domestic spaces once occupied by one of the most hunted and elusive men in the world.

Yinka Shonibare is well known for playing with cultural stereotypes. ‘The Swing’ is based on a painting by the 18th-century French artist Fragonard but here the young girl's dress is made from batik, a fabric associated with African costume. In fact, batik is Indonesian in origin but has been made in Europe and exported to Africa for many years. Shonibare uses the material to challenge our assumptions about different cultures.

Jury 2004: Catherine David, Witte de With, Rotterdam Adrian Searle, The Guardian Robert Taylor, Tate Patrons David Thorp, Henry Moore Foundation Nicholas Serota, Tate Gallery

Turner Prize 2004: Jeremy Deller