Britain's richest visual arts prize

The Artes Mundi prize has eight contenders, and it's on show in Cardiff - winner is announced 19 May. The Guardian has an article on it, which says this is "big subject art tackling subjects from post-communist social order to consumerism and globalisation".
The prize is £40,000, big-subject money. The artists aren't part of the London or commercial scene; the prize provides a platform for international artists yet to make a big name for themselves in the UK -- nearly 500 were nominated from 80 countries.

"All of the artists this year were shortlisted for their skill in reflecting the politics that surround them, and there was a strong showing by artists from formerly communist countries, including the Albanian Adrian Paci; the Bulgarian Ergin Çavusoglu; the Russian Olga Chernysheva; and Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev, from Kyrgyzstan.

"The latter pair, who explore ordinary life on the new Silk Road, were not at the prize preview after they were denied visas. The other artists are the Peruvian Fernando Bryce, who has lived in Europe for almost 20 years; Chen Chieh-yen, from Taiwan; and Yael Bartana, from Israel."

Interesting work, each deserving individual consideration. The works shown are from Olga Chernysheva's website.