LUX Scotland has announced that the shortlist for the 2023 Margaret Tait Commission comprises Isabel Barfod, Renèe Helèna Browne, Rhona Mühlebach, and George Finlay Ramsay.
The shortlisted artists have been invited to submit a proposal for the £20,000 commission, which will premiere at Glasgow Film Festival in 2024, and will subsequently tour with LUX Scotland alongside a solo exhibition at LUX’s space in London.
For the 2023 Commission LUX Scotland have introduced the new role of a producer to provide dedicated production support for the selected artist. The recipient of the 2023 Commission will be announced at Glasgow Film Festival in March alongside the announcement of the 2023 Margaret Tait Residency recipient and the premiere of Sulaïman Majali’s 2022 Commission.
The Margaret Tait Commission is a LUX Scotland project delivered in partnership with Glasgow Film, backed by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Inspired by the pioneering Orcadian filmmaker and poet Margaret Tait (1918–99), the commissioning opportunity recognises experimental and innovative artists working with the moving image, offering a unique avenue of production support and providing a high-profile platform to exhibit newly commissioned work. Previously known as the Margaret Tait Award, the name was changed in 2023 to more accurately reflect the opportunity.
Each year, the commission is awarded to an artist based in Scotland who has established a significant body of work over the past 5 – 10 years; is recognised by peers for their contribution to the artists’ moving image sector; and can demonstrate the significant impact that the commission will have on the development of their practice.
Nominations are assessed by a panel of artists and professionals from across the fields of the visual arts and cinema.
The selection panel for the 2023 Margaret Tait Commission comprises Duncan Marquiss, Glasgow based artist and Margaret Tait Commission 2015 recipient; Julia Paoli, Director & Curator of Mercer Union, a centre for contemporary art, Toronto; Sepake Angiama, Artistic Director of INIVA (Institute of International Visual Art), London; Ainslie Roddick, Director of ATLAS Arts, Isle of the Skye; Kitty Anderson, Director of LUX Scotland; and Anne Petrie, Visual Arts Officer, Creative Scotland.
Previous recipients of the Margaret Tait Commission include Sulaïman Majali, Andrew Black, Emilia Beatriz, Jamie Crewe, Alberta Whittle, Sarah Forrest, Kate Davis, Duncan Marquiss, Charlotte Prodger, Rachel Maclean, Stephen Sutcliffe, Anne-Marie Copestake and Torsten Lauschmann.
Kitty Anderson, Director, LUX Scotland said, “The nominations for the 2023 Margaret Tait Commission demonstrate the wide range of excellent moving image work being made by artists in Scotland. It was a privilege and a pleasure to view the nominees’ work and discuss them at length with this year’s selection panel. We are excited to announce the shortlist and look forward to reviewing their proposals.”
Find out more about the 2023 Maragret Tait Commission
Image credits, from top left to bottom right:
- Isabel Barfod, ‘Sidesteps’, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
- Renèe Helèna Browne, ‘Daddy’s Boy’, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
- Rhona Mühlebach, ‘Excitement Is Not Part Of My Feeling Repertoire’, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
- George Finlay Ramsay, ‘Family Fugue’, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
