Turner Prize nominee profiles

Read more about each of the artists nominated for the Turner Prize 2006.

Tomma Abts

German-born Tomma Abts is nominated for her solo exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Basel contemporary art institution, in Switzerland, and the private greengrassi gallery in London.

Working consistently within the small portrait frame of 48 by 38cm, Abts's art is characterised by abstract geometric shapes and numerous layers of paint.

Her paintings are regarded as struggling between illusion and reality. She says of this uncertainty: "I work inside- out, so to say, and the shapes are almost negative shapes.

"I start with nothing really, I make no sketches before I start the painting, I work directly onto the canvas."

Phil Collins

Phil Collins admits he was initially uneasy about being involved in the Turner Prize: "It felt like a very uncomfortable idea of being exposed."

But using his role in the competition to explore the media spectacle behind the prize and the implications of filming people, Collins created Shady Lane productions and invited members of the public who had been negatively impacted by their roles on reality TV shows, to contact him with their stories.

"The camera in some way implicitly changes the behaviour it seeks to record," Collins says.

Central to his work is an exploration of human interaction, involving a diversity of social groups, some of which are portrayed through interviews screened as part of his exhibition.

He is fascinated by the modern phenomena of public confession which, he says, would have been considered shameful in the Britain in which he grew up, but he admits he is drawn to it at the same time.

"With each project I would say it's something which I wish I could do. I would like to tell my life story, except it would also fill me with horror," he says.

Rebecca Warren

"The beauty of working with a material like clay is it gives you the freedom to change things," says Rebecca Warren, nominated for her unfired sculptures which self-conciously re-think traditional designs.

Taking on a somewhat formless shape, Warren leaves her pieces open to interpretation so as not to be constrained by the critic's desire to classify her in any single frame.

"It's just about trying not to close down too many avenues for yourself," she says.

She is nominated for her solo exhibitions at the Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, the Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne, and for her contribution to the Tate Triennial 2006.

Mark Titchner

The artwork of 33-year-old Mark Titchner once greeted commuters at London's Gloucester Road underground station in the form of giant billboards.

Titchner describes his art as "a dialogue about how you receive thought and ideas."

He uses a variety of artistic mediums - from painting to animation to sculptural installations - and draws inspiration from pop culture and philosophy.

According to Turner Prize organisers, installations like How to Change Behaviour (Tiny Masters of the World Come Out) "are provocative hybrids that often combine new technologies with old techniques."

Related links
Turner Prize 2006 gallery
Official website: Turner Prize 2006