Commonality, Multiplicity and Solidarity: Lessons from Art

On request from the four shortlisted candidates for this year’s Turner Prize, the panel of judges  have conceded to share the 40,000 pound prize money among the four “competing” artists (thus subverting normal convention). 

In the letter sent to the panel, the four candidates wrote:

“The politics we deal with differ greatly, and for us it would feel problematic if they were pitted against each other, with the implication that one was more important, significant or more worthy of attention than the others.

“At this time of political crisis in Britain and much of the world, when there is already so much that divides and isolates people and communities, we feel strongly motivated to use the occasion of the prize to make a collective statement in the name of commonality, multiplicity and solidarity – in art as in society.”

You can read more about the individual pieces here.

We merely want to echo the artists’ words and ask that we reflect on how they might apply to the diverse ELT community in which we work and to the challenges we face.