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Barbara Walker, Burden of Proof, 2022. Installation View 1. Sharjah Biennial 15, Old Diwan Al Amiri, 2023. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation with the support of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic.

Barbara Walker, Burden of Proof, 2022. Installation View 2. Sharjah Biennial 15, Old Diwan Al Amiri, 2023. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation with the support of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic.

Barbara Walker, Burden of Proof, 2022. Installation View 3. Sharjah Biennial 15, Old Diwan Al Amiri, 2023. Commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation with the support of the Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic.

Meet the Turner Prize artist shortlist: Barbara Walker

As Education Partner for the Turner Prize 2023, the world’s leading prize for contemporary art, we have been taking a deep dive into the artist shortlist, announced in April of this year. Over the past six weeks, we have invited you to join us in meeting each of the artists. Now, as we reach the last artcile of this series, we invite you to join us once more.

Did you know, two University of Sussex alumni have previously won the Turner Prize. Mixed-media artist Helen Cammock, a Sussex sociology graduate, was one of the co-winners of the 2019 prize. And conceptual artist, Jeremy Deller, who holds a British Art History and Critical Theory MA from Sussex, won the Turner Prize in 2004. 

The shortlisted artists for this year’s Turner Prize 2023 are; Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker. This week we are shining a spotlight on Barbara Walker. 

Meet Barbara Walker

Barbara Walker was born in Birmingham, England in 1964. She studied Art and Design at the University of Central England, Birmingham, and completed postgraduate studies at Wolverhampton University.

Walker works in a range of media and formats, from embossed works on paper to paintings on canvas and large scale charcoal wall drawings. She often spends several years on projects, researching and gathering reference images from public and private archives and collections. Growing up in Birmingham to Jamaican parents, Walker’s experiences have shaped a practice concerned with issues of class and power, gender, race, representation and belonging.

Walker was nominated for her presentation entitled Burden of Proof at Sharjah Biennial 15. In this body of work, Walker brings careful attention and visibility to the individuals and families affected by the Windrush Scandal. Burden of Proof featured large scale charcoal portraits drawn directly onto the gallery wall and eight framed works on paper. Monochromatic portraits of people impacted by the scandal are layered over hand drawn reproductions of identity papers – documentary evidence of their right to remain in the UK. Walker invites the viewer to consider the true consequences of political decision making, the complexities of diasporic identity and the struggle for legitimacy.

Be part of this year’s Turner Prize 

Visit the exhibition featuring the shortlisted artists at the gallery, Towner Eastbourne, just a short trip along the coast - opens 28 September 2023. The winner will be announced on December 5 2023 at an award ceremony in Eastbourne’s Winter Gardens.

Teams from across the University have also been collaborating with Towner Eastbourne on an inspiring arts education programme. This will include events on campus at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (ACCA), more information coming soon!  

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