´óÏó´«Ã½

I've been following the still unfolding story of where the Turner Prize will go when it comes to Derry in 2013. The current offiicial position is that it will be housed in the former Ebrington Barracks. Just before Christmas, I spoke to Declan McGonagle, from the Culture Company, who said that the site would be ready in time. ButÌýjust after Christmas, Eamon McCann, who is on the board of the Void Gallery in Derry, said to me on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Ulster's "Arts Extra" that he thought theÌýVoid shouldÌýhouse it. There's talk of the Void moving from its current site in the basement of the former shirt factory on Patrick Street, to a new, three storyÌýspace in the city centre. The Void has a track record of working with Turner artists includingÌýWillie Doherty and Jeremy Deller.ÌýIt has a successful art school, and last year was included in a list of the best smaller gallery spaces in Great Britain.

This week, I met the new directors of the Context Gallery based within the Playhouse. With Theo Sims returning to Canada in November last year to resume his workÌýas a visual artist, the space for a curator was open. Filling it since December are two co-directors, Swedish born Johan Lundh andÌýIrish/Canadian Aileen Burns. Both seemed fired up by the chance to work in Derry,Ìýhonest about the fact that they didn't know much about here before applying, havingÌýworked in Berlin and New York, but nowÌýsay that they wantÌýtoÌýbring the legacy of the Orchard Gallery back to the city.ÌýThe Orchard Gallery, run by Declan McGonagle, was one of the most exciting spaces in Europe in the 1980's, all the major names in contemporary art showed there, and the gallery was shortlisted for the Turner prize , withÌýMcGonagleÌýhimself one of only two curators to be shortlisted for the prize in 1987.ÌýI ask Johan and AileenÌýwere they aware of the prestige surrounding Turner? Yes, of course, that was part of their desire to come here, but they want to stay longer than 2013. They seem genuinely excited aboutÌýtheir ambitions for the Context. For the moment though, they are caretaking Theo's programme, with their own kicking in in July. Ìý

I liked their attitude. Likewise, Damien Duffy andÌýMaolíosa Boyle, the curatorial team at the Void, have a similar determination. Setting up the Void Gallery over 5 years ago, they wanted to create a gallery that would rival any spaces in any metropolitan centre.ÌýThey consistently bring leading Irish and contemporary visual artists to the city, and work with young local artists in the Void School. The gallery is, crucially, artist led which informs the whole ethos of the space.

What I'm now hearing is that the Void and Context galleries curators are keen to share the curatorial vision for Turner in 2013.

These are genuinely exciting times and if the legacy part of the City of Culture 2013 is to be truly realised, it makes sense to allow these young Derry based curators to take the lead and work with the Tate Turner team to showcase the city and its visual arts to the wider world.