Lawrence Weiner TIME +
PLACE
Adventures in conceptual art
People have always gotten antsy around the avant-garde, from the days of Duchamp’s found toilet right up to contemporary furores over dead fauna in tanks. These examples at least stick to putting objects in a space.
American conceptualist hero Lawrence Weiner goes one step further, mainlining ideas into the viewer’s head. Since the late 60$, Weiner's art has taken the form of sparse texts that suggest relationships between objects and other objects, or objects and language, or language and language itself. Despite the third tenet of Weiner's 1969 statement of intent — ’The work need not be built' - form still plays a role in his work.
In the past, Weiner has presented
his thought-pieces as sung lyrics or books, skewing possible meaning with his choice of media. Early examples, too, were direct suggestions of possible sculptural acts such as ONE QUART EXTERIOR GREEN INDUSTRIAL ENAMEL THROWN ON A BRICK WALL.
For the site-specific installation at lnverleith House, Weiner is set to present a stark set of text fragments that, paradoxically, will be visually arresting while steering clear of specific reference to possible realisations. The texts are to be reproduced in charcoal, granted impact by their grand scale, filling the walls of the gallery’s seven spaces and accompanied by obscure typographical glyphs. Weiner’s working method is to research his chosen topic or context, and even to create and combine objects, only to whittle away at the concepts he wishes to evoke in his audience, paring
GROUP SHOW
John, I'm Only Dancing ***
Moments to make your toes curl
Janice McNabb's Bettina, London Painting
It's the moment that you are caught Singing y0ur favourite tune into a hairbrush, or it's those shameful revelations that gradually creep up on you the morning after the night before. Embarrassment is an awkwardly uncomfortable emotion that hits us all, It's when you realise that a private moment becomes painfully public.
The title track of this group show is Michael Curran’s soundwork john, I’m Only Dancmg, his rendition of the BOWIE‘ classic. It sets the scene for a series of works that place embarrassment at their centre. Fred Pederson’s Video I’m Sorry has the artist singing his apologies to the tune of Rule Britannia, a weekend favourite With drunken train-warblers everywhere. Rineke Dijkstra's Video Annemrek is amusineg pOignant, a close-up study of a young girl lip synching to her favourite boy band record. The impasswe concentration on her face reminds us that we too have
American conceptualist hero, Lawrence
s 1“;
them down to slivers of language.
The galleries of lnverleith House and the surrounding gardens, then, are key, as the viewer is placed slap- bang in the middle of Weiner's suggestions, encountering the piece’s oblique phrases in the context that gave rise to them in the first place. And this is where Weiner's work really takes off, as anyone viewing the installation breaks a feedback loop, bringing their own interpretations and associations to the text, effectively creating the work in response to it. TIME + PLACE, then, is literally a must see, because without an audience the installation cannot truly come to fruition. (Jack Mottram)
9.5 Lawrence Weiner TIME + PLACE, lnverleith H0use, Royal Botanic Garden (Venue 793/ 552 7777, I3 Aug—29 Oct, daily 77am-5pm. Free.
attempted to look this cool. In Gillian Wearing's Video Dancing In Peckham we see the artist bedroom-dancmg With abandon (embarrassed are you?).
Being different can also be embarrassmg The stigma of cultural difference is outlined in both Oreet Ashery’s Marcus Fisher In Soho and Daniel Rubenstein’s Diversion Ahead photographic series, A single painting by Janice McNabb entitled Bettina, London Painting depicts a woman whose face is covered by a large birthmark. She stares directly at the Viewer, urging them not to avert their gaze.
There are maybe too many works — 33 in total — but the pieces that work very well in john, I’m Only Dancing are the ones that allow even the shyest boys and girls to laugh or cry at the folly of others as well as at themselves. (Claire Mitchell)
It! john, I’m Only Dancrng, Collective Gallery, 220 7260, until 3 Sep, Tue—Sat 77am—6pm, Sun 7—5pm. Free.
Hitlifl *
The shows guaranteed to deliver a visual sensation
The Private Klee: Works By Paul Klee From The Bilrgi Collection
Edinburgh gets the only UK showmg of work by Paul Klee from the outstanding BUrgi collection. One of the most innovative artists of the 20th century, his instantly recognisable early works — small-scale abstract watercolours — are shown alongside oils, prints, gouaches and drawings. The Private Klee: Works By Paul Klee From The Burgi Collection, Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art (Venue 66) 624 6200, 72 Aug—22 Oct. £4 (£3); joint with Dali f 6 (£4.50). Salvador Dali’s Optical l||usrons
Delve into the disturbing world of the surrealist Spanish painter, as the Dean Gallery focuses on his lifelong fascination with visual trickery. Salvador Dali’s Optical Illusions, Dean Gallery (Venue 69) 624 6200, until 7 Oct, Mon—Sat 70am—5pm; Sun noon-5pm. £4 (£3), joint with Klee f 6 (£4.50).
Alphonse Mucha — Master Of Art Nouveau Epitomising the Art Nouveau movement, a major retrospective of the work of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, featuring the decorative panels and poster art which turned him into a household name. Alphonse Mucha — Master Of Art Nouveau, City Art Centre, 529 3993, until 30 Sep, Mon—Sat 70am—6pm, Sun noon—5pm. f3 (£2.50); season ticket f 7. 5 0,‘ family ticket f 9. Shirin Neshat
Dealing With social, cultural and religious codes of Muslim societies, New York-based, Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat shows her award-Winning video installation Turbulent along with the first UK screening of So/i/oquy. Shir/n Neshat, Fruitmarket Gallery, 225 2383, 5 Aug—23 Sep, Mon-Sat
7 lam—8.30pm; Sun noon—8.30pm. Free.
The Edinburgh leg of the prestigious London’s Oxo Tower Peugeot Design Awards, selected by a distingUished panel including design guru Ron Arad. Nexus Galleries, 477 4524, until 37 Aug, Mon—Sat 70am-6pm. Free.
10—17 Aug 2000 THE lIS'I' FESTIVAL GUIDE 79