Welsh artist Tim Davies is one of only ten artists chosen from all over the world to reach the shortlist for the new Artes Mundi Prize announced Monday September 15.
Swansea based artist Tim Davies (b 1960) was selected from an entry of more than 350 artists from 55 countries nominated for the Artes Mundi Prize. Davies is the only artist from the UK and one of only two artists working in
Europe now in contention for the prestigious prize of £40,000. Davies is primarily an installation artist whose work often derives from environmental or political concerns. Winner of the National Eisteddfod Fine Art Gold Medal 2003 in August this year and the Mostyn Open Prize in 1997, he has exhibited extensively, including the UK, Ireland, Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and Central America.

The recipient of the Artes Mundi Prize will be chosen in late March 2004 by an international panel of distinguished jurors who will make their choice during a major exhibition of the shortlisted artists' work, to be staged at the National Museum & Gallery, Cathays Park, Cardiff (7 February - 18 April 2004).
Making the announcement, Declan McGonagle said on behalf of himself and co-selector Fumio Nanjo "What struck us in researching for the shortlist was just how many contemporary artists are trying to reconnect art practice to what I would call 'life processes' and with the 'stuff' of humanity: history, identity and memory, the body and communication. Artes Mundi is timely, therefore, in locating this pulse in the body of current art
activity."
William Wilkins, Chairman of Artes Mundi said "The prize is designed to recognise some of the most significant artists in the world. It will also demonstrate the ambition of Wales to play a role on the world stage, and enrich the visual culture of Wales with opportunities to share in cultural exchange and debate."
Alun Pugh AM, Minister for Culture, Welsh Language & Sport, congratulating the short listed artists, said "Wales looks forward to welcoming these ten artists of growing international reputation. I hope that their nomination for the Artes Mundi Prize and exhibiting at our fine National Museum & Gallery in Cardiff will ensure their future fame and success. In Wales we hold creativity and innovation in high regard and believe that in better appreciating other cultures we find our own place in the world."

The shortlist of ten artists, announced simultaneously in London and Cardiff by Artes Mundi selector Declan McGonagle and Artes Mundi Chairman, William Wilkins, are:

* Janine Antoni - born in the Bahamas in 1964 and now lives in New York.
* Tim Davies - born in Wales in 1960 and lives in Swansea.
* Jacqueline Fraser - born in New Zealand in 1956 and still lives there.
* Jun Nguyen - Hatsushiba - born in Japan in 1968 and now lives in Vietnam.
* Lee Bul - lives and works in Seoul, Korea and was born in 1964.
* Michal Rovner - born in Israel in 1957 and now lives in New York and Israel.
* Berni Searle - born in Cape Town, South Africa (1964), where she lives and works.
* Fiona Tan - born in Indonesia in 1966 and now lives in the Netherlands.
* Kara Walker - born in California in 1969 and now lives in New York.
* Xu Bing - born in China in 1955 and now lives in New York.

March 2004 will see the awarding of the first Artes Mundi Prize, one of the world's largest awards made to an individual visual artist. An exhibition of the shortlisted artists will take place at the National Museum & Gallery of
Wales, Cardiff.
Artes Mundi is the first international visual art prize of its kind in the UK. £40,000 will be awarded to the recipient, and a further £30,000 has been made available by the Derek Williams Trust to purchase works by one or more of the shortlisted artists for the national collections of Wales.
Two renowned curators, Fumio Nanjo of Japan and Declan McGonagle of Eire, drew up a shortlist of 10 artists from around the world, announced simultaneously in Cardiff and London on September 15th 2003. When
nominations closed at the end of May 2003, over 350 artists from 55 countries had been nominated.
Works by the shortlisted artists will form a major exhibition at the National Museum & Gallery of Wales, opening on February 7, 2004. During the period of the Exhibition a series of educational events will be held. The Artes Mundi judges will view the exhibition, and the recipient will be announced in late March 2004. The exhibition continues until April 18, 2004.
The judges for Artes Mundi in 2004 are:
Lisa Corrin, formerly Curator of Exhibitions at the Serpentine Gallery, London and now Deputy Director of Art, Seattle Art Museum, USA.
Marlene Dumas, artist based in the Netherlands, whose own work could be said to be aligned with the theme of the Artes Mundi Prize.
Okwui Enwezor, publisher and editor of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art and Artistic Director for Documenta 11 in Kassel Germany, 2002.
Issey Miyake, artist and designer, based in Japan and France
Michael Tooby, founding Curator at Tate St Ives and now Director of the National Museum & Gallery, Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales.

As its Latin name suggests, Artes Mundi ('Arts of the World'), has beeninitiated to encourage international debate and exchange between diverse cultures and countries. As such it is the first prize of its kind in the UK and one of the largest prizes in the world to be awarded to an individual artist.

The biennial Prize will, over time, explore the ongoing debate between national or ethnic cultural expression and their relationships with the international languages of dominant cultures. The Prize will celebrate this diversity and the ways in which artists throughout the world comment upon their society.
The Prize was instigated by the artist and cultural entrepreneur William Wilkins, who was also behind the creation of Middleton, The National Botanic Garden of Wales, the restoration of the lost gardens of Aberglasney, the
restoration of Llanelly House (featured in the BBC 2 series, 'Restoration') and Ceramica Cymru, the annual festival of pottery and ceramics in Llandeilo.
William Wilkins, Chairman of Artes Mundi, said "We have a vision that the contemporary visual arts in Wales can share the benefits of this international competition. Artes Mundi will put high calibre artists on the world stage, draw international attention to Wales and its visual arts, and enrich the visual culture of Wales with opportunities to share in cultural exchange and debate."
The Artes Mundi Prize celebrates artists who have achieved recognition for the quality of their work in their own country or sphere and are emerging internationally. Artes Mundi focuses on artists who are working with ideas
of human form or human presence and producing work which adds to our understanding of the human condition. The shortlisted artists from different countries and cultures interpret this broad theme in many ways, using
different media. The ten shortlisted artists have been selected by two internationally renowned curators: Fumio Nanjo, Deputy Director of the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, and Declan McGonagle, fomer Director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art and currently Director of Dublin's City Arts Centre's Civil Arts Inquiry. In tandem with undertaking their own research, they considered nominations made by a range of people respected internationally for their knowledge and understanding of the visual arts.

The Artes Mundi Prize will be a biennial event and is sponsored by: Arts Council of Wales, BBC Wales, BT, Cardiff 2008, Cardiff County Council, Cardiff Initiative, The Derek Williams Trust, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Visiting Arts, Western Mail & Echo, Wales Arts International, Wales Tourist Board, Welsh Development Agency and the Welsh Assembly Government.