Eight in running for Artes Mundi

The Artes Mundi 4 exhibition in Cardiff runs from 11 March - 6 June 2010

Eight artists have been nominated for Artes Mundi, the UK's biggest visual arts prize, which is hosted in Wales.

Artists from Albania, Bulgaria, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Russia and Taiwan are shortlisted for the £40,000 prize.

The 2009 competition - Latin for "Art of the world" - has attracted more than 480 nominations from more than 80 countries.

The artists will exhibit at National Museum Cardiff from 11 March - 6 June 2010, with the award given in May.

The shortlisted artists, including five from eastern Europe, have backgrounds in a range of media ranging from film and video to a south American artist who draws in Indian ink.

The award is presented in Cardiff every two years and is funded by a number of Welsh organisations, including the Welsh Assembly Government, the Arts Council of Wales and Cardiff Council.

Previous winners of the award have included Xu Bing, a Chinese artist whose work was made from dust collected on New York's streets after 9/11.

ARTES MUNDI 4 SHORTLIST Yael Bartana Israel; uses photography, film, video, sound and installation Fernando Bryce Peru; painter who now works primarily in Indian ink, with a drawing style compared to mid 20th Century comic strips Ergin Çavusoglu Bulgaria; film and video installations inspired by a shifting, global society Chen Chieh-jen Taiwan; photography, film, installation Olga Chernysheva Russia; films, photographs, drawings and objects exploring contemporary Russia Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev Kyrgyzstan; video and photographic installations exploring post-Communism in modern Russia and central Asia Adrian Paci Albania; film, photography and painting deals with politics and migration - he was a refugee of Kosovo war and lives in Italy Source: Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales In pictures: Artes Mundi shortlist artists

Last year's winner was NS Harsha, from India, who drawings and paintings use Indian Miniaturist painting to tell stories which question the traditions of Indian culture.

The shortlist for the fourth competition was chosen by two appointed selectors, art critic Viktor Misiano, formerly curator at The Pushkin State Museum and director of the Contemporary Art Center (CAC) in Moscow, and Levent Çalikoglu, chief curator at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art.

The competition, established in 2003, aims to seek "outstanding artists from around the world who stimulate our thinking on the human condition and humanity".

Founding artistic director Tessa Jackson said: "The purpose of this prize is not only to recognise deserving talent, but also to introduce a wider range of artists to the British art scene, extending their reach and broadening our horizons.

"The strength of the work, in relation to its content and the referencing of cultures unfamiliar to many of us, provides an extraordinary opportunity to explore the world's art and artists."

Prize founder William Wilkins said: "With this prize I wanted to bring the world to Wales and Wales to the world.

"The sourcing of fascinating artists from around the globe and the involvement of key international sponsors is a mark of how seriously this project is taken."