ART PREVIEW
:- Chicago Callin
Artemisia at Transmission is a fairly beguiling showcase for a group of artists who share membership of the same womens’ cooperative in Chicago and that, it seems, is where the similarities end. The exhibition is the second part of an exchange project between the Transmission and Artemisia galleries, and the disparity of conceptual and formal presentation is commendable, if a little mind- boggling.
Silvia Malagrino is the most earnest and overtly political ol the artists, and this is due in no small part to having been exiled from her native Argentina. ller large, monochromatic photographs are permeated with a gloomy reality. Rows of laces are not the High School Yearbook graduates they first appear to be, but the Baader Meinhof Gang.
Counterpointing this sober view is Elaine Scheer’s pure and heady nostalgia. Memories of Tea is tea cup shaped bags brimming over with mementos and harmless fun.
The most satisfying and successful work in the exhibition is Linda James’ hotch-potch of images which chart the ages of man. A Manzoni-inspired line of photographs of male heads from 0 to 70, forms the centre of a Mondrian- based formal configuration. The emphasis is on male identity and is handled deftly, as is the rampant art historical allusion.
Jo Hockenhull’s canvasses jar the proceedings somewhat. Their gaudy, day-glo, post apocalyptic visions come across more like pulp sci-fi illustrations. The lnheritors is not so much a bold ecu-conscious testament as the giant ants of Them in the Acid Age.
The exhibition culminates in the outcome of the Artemis organised mail art project, the Exquisite Corpse lines of correspondence. This has resulted
in a blind juxtaposition of automatic drawings from around 300 artists from all over the world. The idea is intriguing but merits more attention in realising its potential. (Caroline Ednie) Artemesia is at Transmission until Sat 28 May.
:— Black Ice
Calum Angus Mackay’s photographs are based on constructed still life images incorporating diverse range ofmatertals.
Justin McKenzie Smith revrews Isolate, a new
exhibition of his work.
A horse‘s head bridled in shards of glass. A woman stepping tentatively on to slabs of salted meat. It may seem unlikely that images of beauty could be rendered out of such raw elements. However. in Isolate. Calum Angus Mackay has created a body of photographs that arrests far more than the visual senses. ‘This is the conclusion of a four-year Q period of working in rural areas which i have undergone some kind of industrial ; change.‘ Mackay explains. ‘Whetherit was in farming. fishing or mining. I wanted to convey something of the nature of that transition.‘
The exhibition combines work i produced in the Hebrides with images devised in rural Aberdeenshire and in the markets and mining villages of Wales. Having previously farmed a croft on his native Lewis. Mackay is able to convey the flesh anti bones of such an existence.
However. this is no record of a fading : rural idyll or sentimental celebration of E times past. While Mackay g acknowledges that his work has a I documentary content. his interest is in i how this can be controlled within more , complex images. His elegant black and white prints are mostly constructed still
lifes. Animal and vegetable parts are frozen in blocks of ice. faintly resembling the production-line units of some new rural industry. Dead flesh is sheathed in metal casings to create subtle and surprising surface contrasts. The outward appearance of these compositions catches your eye and pulls you in to a closer. more instinctive contemplation of their dark depths.
‘I am partly using sculptural techniques.‘ Mackay reflects. ‘in the hope that viewers will use more than just their visual senses. As they move closer to an image. their first impressions will give way to a sensibility of its surfaces. They should begin to feel the image. as well as see it.‘ In an apt phrase. Mackay describes the experience as ‘visual consumption'.
It is clear that Mackay's working methods are quite different from fellow Scots Calum Colvin and Ron O'Donnell who have established
international reputations in constructed photography.
‘Thcre is no need to overstate the basic elements that I use in my photographs. I think there is a danger that constructed images can become lost in the midst of decorative clutter. I try to avoid the one hundred influencing factors that clutter brings with it.‘
The results of Mackay's approach demonstrate a skilled and intelligent artistic imagination. Isolate challenges our understanding of photography’s conventions. and touches a seldom- found nerve of human sensibility. However. there is also a sense in which this exhibition reveals its own limitations. The patting impression is that these promising components should — and will eventually — add tip to a more substantial body of work than Isolate represents.
[solute is til the Portfolio Gal/er): lidinburglz lttlll/ IS .llltu’.
' Exhibitions are listed by city, then alphabetically by venue. Shows will be listed, provided that details reach our offices at least ten days before publication. Art and Exhibition listings compiled by Beatrice Colin.
I ART EXPOSURE GALLERY 38 Bath Street. 33l 2617. Mon-Sat I0.30am-»6pm. The June Summer Show Fri 27 May-30‘) Jun. Work by new gallery artists including Mltairi MacGregor. Nora MacFarlane and Matt Maclntyre. The Art Exposure Open Until Sat 28 May. Art by 200 artists working on a maximum of A4. priced between £30 and £250. From l’ri May 6 the Glasgow Artists Resource Centre will open with discounted materials from Miller's. a video library of televised visual arts programmes. free professional advice on legal and accountancy matters plus a noticeboard. discounted printing and photocopying and dozens of other essential and free services for artists. I ART GALLERY & MUSEUM, KELVINGROVE 357 392‘). Mon—Sat 10am—5pm; Stilt Ham-5pm. Cafe. [D]. Voluntary guides are available free of charge to conduct parties or individuals round the main galleries. Ask at the enquiry desk.
i I I
Canvassing the Clyde: Stanley Spencer and the Shipyards Until 7 Aug. Another showing of Spencer‘s large oils which he produced during World War Two. As well _as the Gallery's collection. a number have been lent by the ltnperial War Museum. Modern Art From the Collection New permanent display. David Ilockncy. Bridget Riley. Alan Davie. Jasper Johns. Bruce McLean and liduardo Paolo/.zi are featured in an exhibition of Pop Art and work inspired by the heady 60s.
I BARCLAY LENNIE FINE ART 203 Bath Street. 226 5413. Mon—Iii l0am---5pm; Sat l0am—lpm.
Recent paintings by Jennifer Irvine Until 4 Jun. Still life. figurative work and views from visits abroad.
I BECKS TENT Glasgow Green. ()pen during shows.
Mayfest Exhibition Until Sat 2] May. Work by students from the Graphic Design. Illustration and Photography Department at the Glasgow School of Art which have been completed while attending performances.
I ROGER BILLCLIFFE FINE ART 134 Blythswood Street. 332 4027. Mon—Fri ‘).3()am—5.30pm.
Duncan Shanks: The Hill on Fire Until Sat 28 May. An exploration of the power of the landscape of the Clyde Valley. Also James McDonald‘s new paintings and prints.
I THE BLYTNSWOOO GALLERY The Gallery Suite, 44 Washington Street. 204 2779. Mon—Fri 10am—5pm; Sat
10am— l pm.
A May Festival Exhibition Until Thurs 26 May. Scottish paintings and drawings by l9th century. 20th century and
contemporary artists.
I BURNSIOE GALLERY l‘)0 Dukes Road. '613 3663. Daily I0am—5pm (closed Tue and Sat).
Bryan Evans Until Mon 30 May. New works from three months spent in Spain. I BURRELL COLLECTION l’ollokshaws Road. 6-19 7ISI. Mon~Sat l0ani -5pm; Sun llam ~5pm. Cafe. [D].
The collection of lidwardian tycoon William Burrell. including furniture. paintings. ceramics and glass. housed in an elegant ptirpose‘built gallery. Recorded descriptions and thermoforms available for the benefit of visually impaired visitors.
Behind the Scenes Until Mon 30 May. An opportunity to see how tapestries are assesd and prepared for display by the gallery staff. If you feel particularly inspired. you can try it yourself on a hand loom.
I CCA 346—354 Sauchiehall Street. 332 752l. Tue—Sat Halli-5.30pm. Cafe. ID]. Christian Boltanski Until l2 Jun. As part
.of a city-wide project. the artist will show
the Dual Slim series. an exhibition of photographs. boxes and sculptural lights which are linked by a list of people w ho died in one canton in Switzerland in l‘)‘)l. I COLLINS GALLERY University of Strathclyde. 22 Richmond Street. 552 4400 ext 2682. Mon—Fri 10am—5pm; Sat noon «1an [D].
Volumes: Wenyon and Gamble Until Sat 28 May. An exhibition of holographic installations which explore the tensions hL’flt't‘t’ll illusion and reality. Taking props from film and theatre these shimmering fortns take the hologram into the late 20th century.
54 The List 20 May—2 June I994