Glasgow sculptor Martin Boyce wins Turner Prize

Sculptor Martin Boyce, whose works include artificial trees and a leaning litter bin, has won Britain’s Turner Prize.

Glasgow-based Boyce accepted the modern art award at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, northern U.K., on Monday, with photographer Mario Testino presenting him with a £25,000 ($39,770 Cdn) cheque.

Boyce’s sculptural installations have reimagined fences, chairs, garbage bins and other items normally found in public spaces.

The judges said his work "uses his knowledge of historic design to create distinctive sculptural installations while opening up a new sense of poetry."

The prestigious and frequently controversial Turner Prize has been awarded since 1984 to a British artist under age 50. Past winners have included Damien Hirst’s pickled cow and sound artist Susan Philipsz's tapes of her own voice.

Boyce turned three large white gallery pillars into trees, topped by canopies of uniform white leaves, with brown leaves scattered on the ground.

"You can generate a sort of mood or atmosphere, a psychological presence by placing an object within a space," the 43-year-old artist said.

The other nominees were installation sculptor Karla Black, video artist Hilary Lloyd and painter George Shaw. This year's artists attracted less controversy than some years —  the Turner Prize frequently sparks a public debate about the value of contemporary art.

The exhibition of Turner nominees' art was held at the Baltic, the first time it has been held away from the Tate museums, but it drew the usual crowds eager to see what the fuss was about. In future years, the exhibition will travel to different U.K. cities.