The Turner Prize is back for this year with a champion to the best contemporary art in Britain. The Turner Prize 2016 has been awarded to Helen Marten, a London-based sculptor was praised for ''her poetic and enigmatic qualities which reflect the complexities and challenges of being in the world today''. 

The £25,000 prize was presented by author Ben Okri during a live broadcast on the BBC, the broadcast partner for the prize. A further £5,000 is awarded to each of the other shortlisted artists. The jury applauded the four nominated artists’ commitment and the strengths of their diverse artistic practices. 

Helen Marten, Eucalyptus, Let us in, 2016, Greene Naftali, New York. Image courtesy of t293

They awarded the prize to Helen Marten for projects including Lunar Nibs at the 56th Venice Biennale and the solo exhibition Eucalyptus Let Us In at Green Naftali, New York. The jury think the work is outstanding for its extraordinary range of materials and form. The jury believe she is making an exceptional contribution to the continuing development of contemporary visual art.

Helen Marten, Under blossom: Lousy Elegy (detail), 2015, Art Basel Unlimited, 18 - 21 June 2015. Image courtesy of t293

One of the best known prizes for the visual arts in the world, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. The Prize, established in 1984 by the Patrons of New Art, is awarded to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding 28 April 2016. 

The shortlisted artists for 2016 were: Michael Dean, Anthea Hamilton, Helen Marten and Josephine Pryde.

Helen Marten, Parrot Problems, 2014, Fridericianum, Kassel. Image courtesy of t293

The members of the Turner Prize 2016 jury are Michelle Cotton, Director, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn; Tamsin Dillon, Curator; Beatrix Ruf, Director, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Simon Wallis, Director, The Hepworth Wakefield. The Chair of the jury is Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain.

Helen Marten, Orchids, or a hemispherical bottom, 2013, The Encyclopedic Palace, 55th International Art Exhibition, Arsenale, Venice. Image courtesy of t293

An exhibition of the four shortlisted artists is at Tate Britain until 2 January 2017. Last year, the London-based collective Assemble won the Turner Prize for their extensive works across the fields of art, design and architecture to create projects in tandem with the communities who use and inhabit them.

Top image: Helen Marten, courtesy of 2014 Frieze New York Art Fair.

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