London (AFP)

The prestigious Turner Award, a British award for contemporary artists, was awarded Tuesday to the four nominees who wanted to convey a message of unity in full "political crisis", an unprecedented decision to nine days of early elections.

The jury unanimously accepted the invitation of artists Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo, and Tai Shani to jointly receive the award, during the ceremony at Turner Gallery in Margate (Southeast of England), where the works are exhibited until January 12th.

"In these times of political crisis in the UK and in much of the world, where so much is already dividing and isolating people and communities, we would like to take this opportunity to present collective declaration in the name of life together, diversity and solidarity, in art as in society ", wrote the four artists at the address of the jury.

He said in response "honored to support this bold declaration of solidarity".

At the award ceremony, Tai Shani had a "Tories out" inscription hostile to Boris Johnson's conservative party, while Oscar Murillo wore a sticker calling for a vote for the Labor Party.

The four winners will share the 40,000 pounds (47,000 euros) of the prize.

Oscar Murillo, favorite, was nominated for several of his exhibitions, notably at the 10th Biennale in Berlin.

The work of the 33-year-old artist, who arrived in London at the age of 11, mixes drawing, sculpture, installations, videos, painting and marries her Colombian origins with Western art.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan, 34, who lives in Beirut, worked with former detainees in the Syrian Saydana prison, 25 kilometers from Damascus, where they were forced to live in the dark. He used sound effects to help six survivors recover their auditory memories and trace the architecture of the prison.

Aged 48, Helen Cammock directed a film that explores the role of women in the Civil Rights Movement, led by the strong Catholic minority against the discrimination it suffered in Londonderry in 1968. This period, which corresponds to the beginning of Troubles between Protestant Unionists, favorable to the maintenance of Northern Ireland under the British crown and the nationalist Catholic Republicans.

The work of Tai Shani, 43, features 12 imaginary characters in films and performances to explore feminism and power structures.

© 2019 AFP