Each of the four artists have created exhibition spaces which have an immersive quality but the Delaine Le Bas room are a riot of black and white exuberance with individual chambers filled with textiles, paint, costume and sculpture. The themes are death, loss and renewal.

Above are four works by Claudette Johnson. After the immersion of the other rooms it was quite a relief to see portraits on canvas on walls. The subjects are Black men and women with a very striking narrative quality to each of them. Big, bold and expressive, I really liked these works.

Jasleen Kaur’s rooms are about tradition, memory, family and history. There’s also a very witty quality to the work. A vintage Ford Escort is covered with a large doily crocheted from cotton.

Pio Abad explores cultural loss and colonial history. Inspired by museum objects from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford he channels his Filipino heritage. The image I’ve posted is bladed weaponry from Mindanao. Beautiful but terrifying at the same time.

There are some interesting films about each of the artists in the corridor outside the exhibition space and it’s useful to hear their inspiration and see their studio spaces. The show is on until 16th February 2025 but the winner will be announced at Tate Britain on 3rd December 2024, the prize’s 40th anniversary.