Winchester School of Art sculpture graduate nominated for the Turner Prize

A Winchester School of Art (WSA) graduate has been nominated for this year's prestigious Turner Prize.

Darren Almond studied sculpture at WSA between 1990 and 1993 and gained a BA Fine Art degree with first class honours. He was in the first year group of WSA students to gain a degree under the auspices of the University of Southampton. WSA was affiliated with the University between 1993 and 1996 and merged with the University in 1996.

Darren Almond's work is shown internationally and addresses the themes of time, geography and memory. He uses a wide range of media including film, photography and sculpture to explore the passing of time and the marks it leaves on both social and private histories.

He is shortlisted for the Turner Prize for his exhibition at K21, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. Darren is currently showing at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York. He is represented in London by White Cube and in Berlin by Max Hetzler.

John Gibbons, Head of Sculpture at WSA, comments: "Darren was an outstanding student within an ambitious group of sculpture students. He is one of a number of WSA sculpture graduates who are becoming widely recognised, with their work represented in public and private collections both nationally and internationally."

Four artists have been nominated for this year's Turner Prize. The other three artists are Gillian Carnegie, Jim Lambie and Simon Starling. The Prize, established in 1984, is awarded to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding 11 May 2005.

Work by the shortlisted artists will be shown in an exhibition at Tate Britain beginning on 18 October. The winner will be announced at Tate Britain on 5 December during a live broadcast on Channel Four.