Art
MIXED Mt:D|A MAJORITY RULES! Free Gallery, Glasgow, until Sat 23 Nov .0
MIXED MthlA
THE GREAT BOOK OF GAELIC
Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, until Sun 9 Mar 0
William Crozier, John Byrne and Steven Campbell) are variable - some are thoughtful, considered responses, some exceptionally poor illustrations. Overall, the impression is one of dated un-ironic 19805 kitsch, highlighting the very parochial associations and whisky advertising imagery that the project seeks to counter. The basic mistake, however,
Pairing art and (loiiio<;raCy (:an ho a (langorous proposition. Imagino it it was put to a straight vote? Givon tho tlll(ltl(} infltionoo of populist roaotionarios. we might ontl up WIN) a run-oft hotwoon hilliartl playing tori'iors and a Jack Vottriano print.
Ma/ority Ri/los.’ at tho Froo Gallon; was (looitlotl by tho
lit
The Great Book of Gaelic is an international touring exhibition and book, bringing together poetry, calligraphy and visual art in an attempt to ‘celebrate the diversity of contemporary Gaelic culture’. One hundred visual artists (50 from Scotland, 50 from Ireland) were commissioned to create work in response to nominated Gaelic poems from the 6th to 21st
centuries. Each work - poem, calligraphy and illustration on hand-
made paper - has been mounted and rare and beautiful poetry, . . W . 5: :7 r 7 g framed for the exhibition before expressive calligraphy i if” 3‘;
being bound to form the pages of the and typography and fine art. The three do not rest easily with one another, fighting for space and dominance like jealous artists in a group show, and the fine art component easily comes off the worst.
One of the few successful art works is by Alasdair Gray.
Great Book.
Described as a ‘Book of Kells for the 21 st century’, The Great Book of Gaelic, rather than invoking that august tome, is, visually, more akin to a Christmas card competition or school history project. The reputation of the host venue, too, is itself a little too close to the term ‘white elephant’ for comfort.
comes through a forced juxtaposition between
Alasdair Gray’s contribution
distinctive, stylised image of a medieval monk reads like a gaudy illustration to 3 Nick Cave lyric, with
The commissioned visual art works Referencing illuminated manuscripts a liberal, postmodern use of Biro and
(by artists including Scott Kilgour,
l-)HDIO(.3RAI’IIY
A MAVERICK EYE: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JOHN DEAKIN
Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 12 Jan 000.
FI'OII‘. shots of' l."»-f;' a". six: out: of; of L<>"(ioii's Soar: to photographs r-:,-s<:~..-:.-<i tron‘ tho too" of l "anus Bacon's (:t‘ast-t: sttioio. this lass 'ia‘. "in i‘oti‘:)sp<;-(:tv‘.o pi‘of’ilos I" ~:.- Lark o‘ photographor silllf‘. Doakin. Notorious not 0" I. for h.s I“€:£il‘ Spiritotl nataro a"ti for llét‘.llit) noon f'oo troi“ ‘.’:;;;:,o <:-’;-. Doakin was a so known ‘or its iinoonéi>roiiis,";; n<;"‘."a.ls. Portraits. as t":s oxhih lions shox'xs. sot ".ll“ a;:a"t.
Ignoring; tho distracting; bright hltio gaiéor“, .'.'aiis of". moi ‘::>ii‘ tho f3tlll‘l"-f:,'"f3 l~lo'.'.'ar(l lloookih oxltip'zion. tho soloot's" r:°’ \.'intago ll’llliES foI()‘.'.'.‘3 a ioss tlta'i T'lattor rig; ai;pr‘oa::h ti; portrattiro. Otton photographotl (:ioso tip. l‘..s sitf-iws a'o shown l.". tho i' .'.arts-an<i-aii glory. ano To rosatfs aro as tins‘,ii‘path-:;tir: as tho, aro i‘o‘.'oiat:)i'j,. Doakif‘ f;(‘:.fl that ho ‘».'/z.into<l to two DES; sittors into his ".I(ll1l’.‘f5 out ‘or", t‘ioso f." a (lz‘ioihoi‘. .vhoso tacos io'io t
So haz'o tit-:3 hoax“, (ll'llthZ‘l' {illtl onan sr"o'~::". \l’.)"" Huston. photqyaphoo '.'."th (:tgjar. Tl‘o snot o" a [noon/.1: l"‘..".-:;. a
Soal :s sooiv s to of (,ai,sii:ato tho toai z); starf' l ,I'
l‘t}ll‘f3(}'.’(}f3 '1) IX: '.ifi°.ll‘-‘Ef3(:fl {ll (ill.
l)r()ll‘lf;--'I() (pang aoti'oss. 32in lo tl'io portrait o‘ £iii'."-T:f;‘3 (‘ii'ia Lotiol;".(; ’ia. a stylo '(j()l‘. tor hoi iiotir-(jass f:‘;..'o. oxailos
Ain't; 3:23": ti"-:'; sooitos ot lonooii. Ron‘o at": l’a.’ s to. <;"-:,- (1‘ tho I' on; r‘torosthg aspoots of tho shoc.’ s a "":st ""é;s;-::::.
tho I;."()I()§)"Etl)l‘f; i’<;-(;o‘.’oro<i from Ba :o'Vs sta'iio lléi'.-i: poo" rolooatoii to a aiass <l:sl;;a§.' (:ahinot. \"‘.’i‘.~::-thoi' ‘<;' r:<)":;<;r‘.;it':;v‘
roasons or not. I"..s stiro‘, n‘oritoo l‘,‘()l'(: tantaio. IHoio". Monaohan-
IONS i 75.?
UK
coun sv or mt v to) THE CONDE NAST pueticixz
86 THE LIST ':-i 1"", ’ln. 1" ”
(a nod to the Book of Kells) Gray‘s
Gina Lollobrigida, 1 954
Tippex. (Susannah Thompson)
Jennie Dear’s Doll
8(illl l’lllltl
DOLL
New Street Exhibition Space, Edinburgh, until Tue 19 Nov 0.
l’oio-sna '1 <lo= s an: ()(ltl littlo :rroat.."<.~s. Sta! no out a'. ,.<:.. t'h fno' gjlass (gos. tho. am all sooing. ali k"()'.'.’lllt)ll.lt {15;(Zikll‘lii’, ho 'it_;s. lhoi' tato is to ho f3tll(2l\ T'o"oxt:-.r z". ghosti‘, >o."'o':’. {)l‘.. ..n<:.".ar‘.t)(;~<i hot to' a hit of (ll)|l)l)‘l‘.tl am.i hair loss. I r‘o/oi: ()i‘a'wottos. as tho t:i'st poioolain :lo'ls ‘l‘. tho ii‘ioV ‘Elth (:orttii", .'.oi'o <2..hi>o<i. nauo this Potor l’a". <:.ialit';.. o; 3sso<i o' (:tn‘soo as 3.0.; soo ltt unit") otoi'na. {,ozi‘th. ()lll nostaitjia for stioh :inooonoo is not j.lf§t llll’lltl‘d to; lost (:lttlalxxxi. hut a lost t'nto. In l)oI'/. “or latost oxhioition. .Jonnio Doai oxpioros tho l:fo o‘ Ito/on ()harottos through ho: ()‘.'."I hantl (tiattotl tioiis in '.ai",.ngj statos of' Lllltll'(}f3f3. D.s_;pia{,(:«<l in ’.'.'()()(l(}'l. tilass frontoo hoxos. son‘o aio propporl lll). ltlll‘, (:éotfioo' I'I silk l'(}§)£l!lil. son‘o
aio toss ll‘()(l(:'f;tl\, oxposoo in .inrIoi’tjarn‘onts. lho laoos lia‘-.o hoo'i atlaptotl to ii‘o‘~.'o antral], ll()l‘.‘ tho lug; o;o<l. choral: ook to narroxzor. £tlll‘()ll(l shapotl otos. ttiithoi apart am) not} n‘oooi‘n a‘thotigh tho Still‘tf ooi':o quality li?l“.£‘.il’f3. Stiaogl‘, hair (I!()‘.'.'Il53 tho hoatls and strings of tau", vows ::oil ai‘otiriti soii‘o of tho titjtii‘os. But Why?
Dospito tho (tolls hoing hoatitifafli, n‘aoo. tho ;:L.t'l)()t;(3 of tho oxhihition is (:onfiisintj. ls thoio a (:()ll‘ll‘(?.’li on lost innooonoo tf;()ll‘(: of tho (lolls look (l(?ll|(}(l- oi {Ito ill‘i‘thJIIlt‘, (:t nanot‘, 'f;()ll‘(} ai'o soiliiotixoi’? llio glass tioiits aio lilxo shop ‘.'.'inti<>'.'.s illl(l it sooiiis that soii‘o ot thoi'.‘ would ho hottoi f;(3i".{3(l " ("is (:oritoxt. Doais aitistii: statoiroii‘. .att'vxs <:iarit\, anti. hogjtifint; as tho, tilt}.t'l(:(1()ll(il}l)i(l()(3f;ll'lf§l£lll<ltillit):;(illitlll‘,. ‘Htillllksltjtbf;
pooplo. In an "innovative (:tiratorial stratogy'. tho (:tirator hasioally sat it out. Soino 4000 votod on a slide show and wet) prosontation of (3:37 paintings. sotilpttiros. installations and photographs from a host of intornational artists. Those 12 won.
Chad Ferber’s Pitfall Harry
Could ho worso. Glasgow's Raul Ortoga has (:hoson tho (:orroot tack With tho (losk nainoplato I'm Uso/oss our God Lovos Mo. Tho black and whito photograph SnoOpy /o’ontity (Ir/sis hy Brooklyn's Linda Ganjian has a sttillotl VDI‘SIOII of our favourito (:artoon hoaglo staring hlankly at a bathroom mirror. Biit Di Starr's Roma no I ~ a hantl-tintotl photo of a Roman i‘tiin »« is just tho soil of thing you'd iinagino (loooi'ating; hoinos in tho iipinarkot San Franoisoo hotli‘ooin (I()lllll‘llltll\,’ that Starr hails from That's not soinothing you'd say about Pliilatlolphia- hasotl Gorard (Ii l- aloo's Bambi/lo o’o/la i‘flo/Kanoto a garish pink {Ill(l orango taiix—naivo Ilallowo'on paint.ngj that's just (lii‘o.
'l‘hoi'o's a pro))ontloranoo ot Ainorioaii work. which l)l'()§3lllllill)l\,’ rofloots tho intoi‘not \oto. (Ziiiiotisly tho inost l)()t(?llll£lll\' ongagjingj pio<:o is a inassagjo tahlo. a(:(:onipanio(l by two loathor (:hairs and {1(Ztlltillll that (E()tll(l soioon thoin. Alas it's appaionth, not pail of tho show but ()(jtlllNlIOlll for tho l)(}£lllt\, salon ahovo. A tino oxpoiiinont litit tho (:tii‘atoi‘s i'olo is salo. Itiain Sholhyl