Coventry City of Culture to host 2021 Turner Prize

Coventry will play host to the Turner Prize in 2021, as one of a number of events revealed for its year as the UK's City of Culture.

The Specials singer Terry Hall will also curate a three-day festival, it has been announced.

The Covid-19 pandemic means the start of the year-long programme has been postponed, with the opening now set to take place on 15 May.

Its creative director said plans were "rooted in the people of the city".

"We know our programme will create a year of extraordinary experiences," Chenine Bhathena told a digital launch event.

The exhibition of the Turner Prize's shortlisted artists will run from 29 September 2021 to 12 January 2022, with the announcement of the winner on 1 December.

Turner Prize chair Alex Farquharson said he was "delighted" it would be held in the city, the first time in its history it will be hosted in the Midlands.

Also among the events is the CVX Festival, made by young people with city rapper Jay 1 who will co-produce live music with his brand ONE Wave.

Martin Sutherland, chief executive of the City of Culture Trust, said it had been working over the summer to "reimagine what a city of culture can be" following the pandemic, and he was "delighted" with what had been done.

Organisers said all the events were being planned in a "flexible and responsive way", to allow them to go ahead in line with any guidelines in place at the time.

Ms Bhathena said they were looking to welcome visitors in a "safe, socially distanced way" and show people "what they can do, rather than what they can't do".

A full programme of events will be announced in January.

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