It comes as little surprise that Jesse Darling has won the 2024 Turner Prize, among a shortlist that was otherwise socially committed, worthy, obtuse and overdone – not to mention a teensy bit dull.
Ghislaine Leung’s reinstallation of the aluminium pipes and ducting that once provided the ventilation system of the Netwerk Aalst bar in Belgium, which she acquired and now occupies her space in the Towner in Eastbourne, was always going to be a hard sell. Rory Pilgrim’s collaborations with groups of socially deprived and vulnerable people led not only to filmed interviews, the creation of a six-part oratorio and a film lasting more than an hour, but also an installation featuring his own artworks as well as those of his collaborators. It all added up to a show of diminishing returns.
