Sculptor Helen Marten wins prestigious Turner Prize for art

LONDON – Helen Marten, who turns the detritus of everyday life into sculpture, has won the prestigious Turner Prize for art.

Marten was named winner of the 25,000-pound (US$32,000) award at London’s Tate Britain gallery on Monday.

The judges praised the “poetic and enigmatic qualities” of Marten’s work, made from found objects including nails, shoe soles, cotton buds and bicycle chains.

Marten, 30, hailed the three other “brilliant and exciting” finalists — Anthea Hamilton, Michael Dean and Josephine Pryde.

Founded in 1984 and given annually to a Britain-based artist under 50, the prize often sparks heated debate about the value of modern art.

Named for 19th-century landscape painter J.M.W. Turner, the award has helped make stars of potter Grayson Perry, shark pickler Damien Hirst and “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen.