Artistic prodigy Jesse Darling, recipient of the Turner Prize, asserts that art, in its existing state, has reached its conclusion.

Jesse Darling Wins Turner Prize for Challenging Art and Advocating for Workers' Rights

Jesse Darling, a multidisciplinary artist born in Oxford in 1981, has won the Turner Prize for his thought-provoking and politically charged exhibitions. Darling, who currently resides in Berlin, was awarded the prestigious prize in December 2023 for his exhibition No Medals No Ribbons at Modern Art Oxford in 2022.

Throughout his career, Darling manipulates and alters everyday items to reveal the vulnerability of things that we so often take for granted. His work often includes altered everyday objects to reflect societal and political instability, and takes aim at and undermines dominant Western narratives around religion, ideology, and politics to reveal their underlying fragility and precarity.

Darling is a vocal supporter of the #StrikeGermany movement, which aims to advance workers' rights, promote fair labor conditions, and support collective action for social change. He supported Strike Germany in Germany by collaborating with institutions focused on labor rights and social justice. The strike initiated by Darling and others reflects the precarious conditions of cultural workers and targets the German state, with one objective being for institutions to take a public position on the actions of Israel in Palestine and distance themselves from it.

Darling's work is accessible and intended to be understood by anyone. He tries to make his work accessible so that anyone can read it, and believes that language is fluid and created and recreated by speech, resisting the idea of a static, precise language.

Despite his success, Darling is not interested in promoting his work. Instead, he is interested in the subterfuge and putting ideas into the world. He prepared physically and mentally for the media attention surrounding the Turner prize, but remains focused on his art and his activism.

Darling completed a BA and MA at Central Saint Martins in 2010 and a MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2014. He has exhibited around the world, most notably at the Venice Biennale in 2021, Kunstverein Freiburg in 2022, and Tate Britain in 2018.

In addition to his art, Darling is currently working on a musical and collaborating with Roskilde Festival in Denmark for next year. During his acceptance speech, Darling spoke up for the importance of teaching children art in schools.

Jesse Darling's work continues to challenge and provoke, pushing boundaries and questioning the status quo. His win of the Turner prize is a testament to his talent and his commitment to using art as a platform for social change.

Artistic prodigy Jesse Darling, recipient of the Turner Prize, asserts that art, in its existing state, has reached its conclusion.