‘THE ACADEMY HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOOKING AT NEW TALENT'
All change
Thomas Malley's Manners For Morality as part of Darkspace
Radical, controversial and experimental aren’t words you’d usually associate with the ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY. Think again. The refurbished building on the Mound is stepping up a gear and it’s happening below stairs, as Ruth Hedges discovers.
here‘s nothing like a death threat to kickstart a
career. (‘olin (ireenslade got ‘em in spades when
a piece in last year's undergraduate show. .'I’If('/\'("\".\‘ ’liilihun Ar/t't'iitim's. whipped up a worldwide frenzy of anger. The Royal Scottish Academy‘s website got over 430.000 hits in ten days and HIM dedicated a page to the ‘scandal'. (ircenslade had just started in his newly created post. designed to shake off the Academy's stuffy image and reyitalise its dedication to new contemporary artists. A job well done. then. It was art art scandal to riyal the Royal Academy‘s own .S‘wisulion.
But when the dust settled and (ireenslade could stop checking the post for explosives. the real job of taking the Royal Scottish Academy into the future began. ‘The RSA had a period where they looked to reposition themselves after the refurbislnncntf says (ireenslade. ‘\\'hat do we do with that space'.’ We saw the need for a permanent temporary exhibition space and realised that we had such good grounding in exhibitions.‘
As well as bringing (ireenslade in from Peacock Arts in Aberdeen. the RSA also took on a whole new bunch of staff. ‘The staff changed quite radically. Basically it was mainly admin positions before and there was a need for more staff — young staff. It changed the dynamic] he says.
This new dynamic is clear when you look at the RSA's current and forthcoming programme. For the first time eyer film work is showing in their current exhibition I)(ll'/\'.\'P(l('(’. and then following hot on its heels. Blind Sig/ll is a collaboration between Visuals and sound. For two weeks the gallery will become a walk-in jukebox with 50 Scottish and Finnish artists displaying CD coyer designs and corresponding tracks.
There‘s a nice tension between the rapid turnover of
new exploratory projects in the downstairs galleries and the weighty Titians sitting aboye. (irecnslade sees the pull of grayitas upstairs and along the corridor as working very much in their fayour. "l‘he l’layfair Link is a tourist attraction. It‘s opened tip a whole new audience. People are just nosy so they come and have a look. It’s good because we want to make art in lidinburgh much more accessible and get as many people seeing it as possible‘.
The RSA gives out {200.000 annually in grants. residencies and scholarships. (ireenslade is keen that the fruits of those opportunities are giyen the chance to be seen. ‘Tlte Academy has always been looking at new talent but not had opportunity to shout about it.' he says. lts idea is to get lots otit there and get it seen quickly and cheaply. ‘l-‘or the most part we want people to engage -~ we can do exhibitions on a shoestring.‘ he says.
The gallery is carying out a niche that is quite different to its neighbours the National (ialleries. which (ireenslade describes as ‘yery established — the good. the great and the deid’ and commercial galleries. “We haye the opportunity to be quite unique.‘ he says. ‘We don't haye house artists to promote — there‘s a huge age and disciplinary range.‘
It's a good position to be in and while the big fireworks of Playfair and Old Masters fade into the autumn air. a quieter but no less radical rcy‘olulion rumbles on beneath.
Darkspace, until Sun 10 Oct & Blind Sight, Thu 14-Tue 26 Oct, Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, Edinburgh, 225 6671.
Visual Art >l<
llit
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
* Avant-Garde Graphics 1918-34 Prints. film posters. propaganda. The Soviets and Germans knew how to do it. Radical design incorporating collage. text. iconography and artwork from an age when technology. politics and creativrty fused with stunning results. Hunter/“an Art Gallery, Glasgow, 330 5437. until Sat 27 Nov.
=i< Paolozzi at 80 The old Leither spread his wings and talents far and wide. This show pulls them together and shows off quite how brilliant the original pop and metal man was. If you haven't been yet, make sure you don't miss the show's final month. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh. 624 6200, until Sun 37 Oct.
=l< Alex Frost 1973 He must be just over 30 — if the show's title's anything to go by - and what productive years they’ve been too. Precision and experimentation go hand in hand for Frost with his delicate explorations in line, drawing and sculpture. See review. The Changing Room, Stirling 07 786 479361, until Sat 30 Oct.
=l< Simon Starling He's the darling this month. You can find him in Sao Paulo at the Biennale. at award ceremonies in New York and in the Modern Institute. See Five Reasons to Go. The Modern Institute, Glasgow, 248 3717, Fri 8 Oct-Fri 5 Nov.
=l= Rosemarie Trockel: Retrospective Exhibition Gender relations are given the Trockel treatment in this fascinating show. See review. Tramway, Glasgow, 0845 330 3501, until Sun 37 Oct.
* The Age of Titian Substantial and fleshy - just what you need for an autumn day. And pop down stairs to find the contemporary doings. See preview. Royal Scottish Academy Building, Edinburgh, 624 6200, until Sun 5 Dec. £7 (£5); free to under 123.
7—2 ' Oct .209“. THE LIST 99