Richards was selected from a shortlist of ten artists.

James Richards, a London-based film-maker, has won the 2012 Film London Jarman Award, an honour which includes a film commission for Channel 4’s short-form arts strand Random Acts and a £10,000 prize. The announcement was made last night (nov 5) at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Richards’ work creating audio-visual mixtapes from found and re-edited images and sculpture was selected from a shortlist of ten artists, which included Brad Butler & Karen Mirza, Nathaniel Mellors and Shezad Dawood, all of whom also received Random Acts commissions. This marks the first time Channel 4 are enabling four artist film-makers to showcase their work within the strand.

The winner was selected by a jury that included Stuart Comer, chair of Tate Modern, Tabitha Jackson, commissioning editor for arts at Channel 4 and Whitechapel Gallery director Iwona Blazwick, among others.

The jury said Richards’ works brings a “sculptural awareness of space to his installations and an informed, intelligent approach to video and found footage, Richards has helped to define a remarkable, intimate digital aesthetic that the jury was pleased to recognise.”

The Jarman Award, which started in 2008, recognises artists working with moving images and is inspired by visionary avant-garde film-maker Derek Jarman, with funding from Arts Council England. Film London deliver the Award in partnership with Channel 4 and in association with the Whitechapel Gallery.

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