Cornelia Parker appointed first female and conceptual general election artist

Cornelia Parker has been announced as the official artist of the 2017 general election. A Turner-nominated and Royal Academy member, Cornelia is the first woman to be appointed the role which was created in 2001.

The decision to assign Cornelia was made by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art, a cross-party collection of MPs who “preserve the history of Parliament through art and advises on the management of the art collection in the House of Commons”. The artist has complete freedom on how she will represent the election, using a commission fee of £17,000 to produce an artwork at the end. You can keep up with Cornelia’s progress by following the Instagram, @electionartist2017.

Previous election artists have included Adam Dant and Jonathan Yeo; Cornelia as a sculptor is the first conceptual artist to be appointed. Her piece in reaction to the campaign will conclude with the vote on 8 June.