The French winner of this year’s £25,000 Turner Prize hailed London as a city of adventurers as she explained how it had provided the opportunities to make her an art world star.
Laure Prouvost, 35, has made Britain her home since first coming here to study half her life-time ago. “Thank you for adopting me,” she said.
“I think London brings a lot of adventurers in some ways. A lot of foreigners who are not from London, who’re not English, all create their lives together and everyone is curious about each other.
“England, the UK, is a place where people are curious. And a lot of people I love are here and I was able to grow my work. Without opportunities, it’s hard, but I got opportunities to develop my work.”
Prouvost was the surprise winner at last night’s ceremony in Londonderry where actress Saoirse Ronan made the announcement – and was left holding the artist’s baby Celeste while Prouvost breathlessly made clear just how staggered she was to win. “I didn’t expect it at all.”
Prouvost originally studied at Goldsmiths College, which trained many Young British Artists, and Central St Martins, then stayed, living and working in east London with her partner, Nick Aikens, a curator.
She said it had not always been easy, especially financially at first. “But you can cycle round. And there’s all the people you meet. I love them.”
The artist won with works including a film and installation previously seen at Tate Britain about her fictional grandparents and their relationship with the real artist Kurt Schwitters.
Her fictional grandfather is a conceptual artist digging a deep hole in something of a joke at art’s expense. “We’re all digging holes, as artists,” she smiled.
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And she revealed that part of the inspiration for her desire to tell stories, often streaming snippets of images, stemmed from childhood. “I was not allowed to watch television when I was little so I became obsessed with it. I guess I’m catching up.”
She accepted the invitation to be a contender for the Turner Prize when pregnant and even created new work for the exhibition which continues at the former Ebrington army barracks until January 5. Her daughter Celeste is now two and a half months old.
“I was surprised how I managed. But I found the energy – being pregnant gives you energy, the idea of life coming. For me it was good. It gave a perspective.”
The artist Tino Sehgal was many critics’ expected victor and David Shrigley was the bookmakers’ favourite. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, 36, the other Londoner on the shortlist, said she was “really not upset” not to have won.
“I haven’t really enjoyed the exposure. It’s really nice to be nominated, to be regarded, in a way that was enough for me,” Yiadom-Boakye said.
And she insisted: “I’m not doing it again, it’s very stressful and quite distracting.” But after a pause, she added: “I guess I should never say never.” Damien Hirst won the second time he was nominated.
