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Five young Canadian artists vie for the 2008 Sobey Art Award

CBC News Posted: Sep 30, 2008 12:14 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 1, 2008

On Oct. 1, one of five young Canadian visual artists will be given the Sobey Art Award in a gala presentation at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The annual award, sponsored by the Sobey Art Foundation and Scotiabank, recognizes Canadian artists under the age of 40 whose work has recently been exhibited in a public or commercial gallery.

Administered by theArt Gallery of Nova Scotia, theaward has been presented since 2006. A panel of curators from across Canada chooses the finalists, picking a representative from each of five different regions. The winner, also chosen by the panel, receives a $50,000 prize.

In advance of the award ceremony, CBCNews.ca takes a look at the nominees and their work. All five artists are currently featured in an exhibition at the ROM hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Culture. The show continues at the museum until Oct. 13.

1. Daniel Barrow

A detail from Learning to Love the Normal Amount (2008) by Daniel Barrow, one of the five nominees for this year's Sobey Art Award. ((Raphael Goldchain/ROM))

Region: Prairies and the North

City: Winnipeg

Media: Graphic performance/manual animation, using performance, video and installation.

Credentials: Barrow has exhibited widely in Canada and internationally. Recent showings include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, New Langton Arts in San Francisco and the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver.

Work pictured: Learning to Love the Normal Amount (2008), a multimedia installation involving 20 mixed-media collage drawings and an original musical score by Greg Goldberg.

2. Raphalle de Groot

Portraits de clients (2007) by Raphalle de Groot. ((Jean-Michel Levert/ROM))

Region: Quebec

City: Montreal

Media: Interventions, installations, performance, videos and artist books.

Credentials: De Groot has been exhibiting her work in Canada and Europe since 1996; in 2006, she received the Pierre-Ayot Prix d'excellence from the City of Montreal.

Work pictured: Portraits de clients (2007) performance.

3. Mario Doucette

1755 Curling (2006) by Mario Doucette. ((ROM))

Region: Atlantic

City: Moncton, N.B.

Media: Drawing, painting, video and Super-8-mm film.

Credentials: An Acadian artist, Doucette has exhibited his work since 1998, in Canada and as part of international exhibitions in France, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He is a member of the Moncton artists collective Collectif Taupe.

Work pictured: 1755 Curling (2006) pastel, ink, pencil and acrylic.

4. Terence Koh

Raven Sits on Snowman Thinking of Earth from the Moon (2008) by Terence Koh. ((Thomas Blanchard/ROM))

Region: Ontario

City: Mississauga

Media: Sculpture, installation, performance and artist books

Credentials: Born in China and raised in Canada, Koh exhibits his work internationally. Showings in 2008 include Peres Projects in Los Angeles, the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon in Leon, Spain.

Work pictured: Raven Sits on Snowman Thinking of Earth from the Moon (2008) mixed media installation consisting of 21 vitrines (composed of glass and glue), various objects and sphere (composed of Canadian oil sand, tar, fumed mica, fibreglass and flexible foam).

5. Tim Lee

My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)/ Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), Neil Young 1979 (2008) by Tim Lee. ((Cohan and Leslie/Lisson Gallery/Johnen & Schottle/ROM))

Region: West Coast and Yukon

City: Vancouver

Media: Photography, video, text and sculpture.

Credentials: Korean-born Lee's work wasat this year's Biennale of Sydney, Australia, and he received a solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, Texas. His work will also be exhibited in 2009 at theHayward Gallery in London,England.

Work pictured: My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)/Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), Neil Young, 1979 (2007) C-print in two parts.

The Sobey Art Award winner will be announced Oct. 1.

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