Whale skeleton vs cow brain at Turner art prize

Scottish-based Richard Wright, who specialises in large wall paintings made for specific spaces, has adorned the far wall of a room with symmetrical, intricate gold-leaf patterns.

Italian-born Enrico David presents "Absuction Cardigan" (2009), a collage of sculptures, paintings and papier-mache "eggmen" described by the exhibition as a "parade of unruly characters" that represent the artist himself.

Finally, Richard Hiorns has covered half of a gallery floor with the black and grey metal dust of an atomised passenger aircraft engine, in a work designed to question our faith in technology and remind us of our own mortality.

Further works hanging on the walls contain cows' brains.

When the nominees, who must be British-based and aged under 50, were first unveiled, organisers said they were likely to be short on shock value and easier for the public to understand than previous versions.

The prize has earned a reputation for being deliberately provocative and out of touch with what people consider to be art, although the 2008 competition created little stir and 2009 may prove similarly uncontroversial.

Previous winners have included Grayson Perry, a cross-dressing potter, and Martin Creed, whose installation in 2001 featured lights going on and off in an empty room.

The winner of the prize, who picks up a cheque for 25,000 pounds, will be announced on December 7. Hiorns is the bookmakers' early favourite to triumph, while Wright is the 10/1 outsider.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)