The Walker Art Gallery has announced the names of the five artists shortlised for the John Moores Painting Prize 2016.
Established in 1957 by eponymous businessman John Moores, the prestigious art contemporary art prize boats an impressive list of previous winners, including David Hockney and Peter Doig.
This year, five artists have been shortlisted for the £25,000 cash prize, which will be announced on July 7.
Talar Aghbashian, Gabriella Boyd, Benjamin Jamie, Selma Parlour and Michael Simpson are all in the running to win the coveted award.
Richard Davey, one of this competition’s jurors, suggested that the paintings offer audiences fresh perspectives on reality.
He said: “One is a geometric abstraction, three are figurative and one hovers in a poetic space between figuration and abstraction.
“On closer inspection, however, we see that the paintings share a common ability to reveal fresh perspectives and new points of view, through the medium of paint. In doing so, they show us our reality and far more, broadening and transforming our individual outlooks.”
Selected from an original batch of over 2,500 entries, the shortlisted pieces will be exhibited with other works between July 9 and November 27 and will run parallel to the Liverpool Biennial art festival.
Sandra Penketh, the director of art galleries at National Museums Liverpool hailed this year’s shortlist.
She said: “For almost 60 years the John Moores painting prize has represented the thrilling diversity and remarkable talent that is so characteristic of contemporary British painting.
“This year’s vibrant and exciting mix of selected works is certainly no exception.”