Cerith Wyn Evans, who wowed London’s art lovers and Instagrammers with his dazzling light sculpture at Tate Britain last year, has won the prestigious Hepworth Prize for Sculpture 2018.
The £30,000 prize was awarded to the Welsh artist at a ceremony at the Hepworth Wakefield gallery in West Yorkshire last night. The award seeks to celebrate artists who have made a significant contribution to contemporary sculpture, regardless of what stage they are at in their career.
Wyn Evans beat off competition from a shortlist that included award-winning artist Mona Hartoum, former Turner Prize nominee Michael Dean, Malaysian-born artist Phillip Lai and Prix de Rome winner Magali Reus.
The 60-year-old artist brought "Forms in Space... by Light (in Time)" to the Tate Britain’s Duveen Galleries in 2017, a work which consisted of nearly 2km of neon lights hung from the ceiling. At The Hepworth Wakefield’s exhibition of artists shortlisted for the prize, Wyn Evans exhibited a work made of 37 glass pipes which emit a humming sound.
“Cerith has been a hugely influential artist for over thirty years, and his recent work has been truly exceptional, extending the possibilities of what sculpture can be,” said Simon Wallis, director of The Hepworth Wakefield and judging panel member.
“The judges thought that the work he has made at The Hepworth Wakefield exemplifies this through its sensitivity to the site, integrating ephemeral and elemental forces to powerful emotional effect.”
The biennial prize was won by Helen Marten in its inaugural year in 2016, who went on to win the Turner Prize in the same year.
The Hepworth Prize for Sculpture exhibition runs at The Hepworth Wakefield runs until January 20 2019. For more information, visit hepworthwakefield.org
