THE WORK INCLUDES UNRULY, FRAGMENTED AND FRAGMENTING ATTACKS ON THE ART WORLD
on. .4
The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army
Art fora change
As an exhibition that engages in critiques of political and social systems is staged in one of Scotland’s flagship galleries, Alexander Kennedy assesses the RISK.
urator tile (‘arpenter brings together 30
artist/activists at the (‘('A to challenge the
relationship between art. politics attd the instittttions that support (and suppress) politically informed avant-garde practices. The title of the exhibition. RISK. might say tnore about the director‘s sense of panic at welcoming the outsiders in. bttt risks work both ways. By working inside one of the Scottish culture industry tnachines. are the artists unknowing stooges. helping business continue as usual'.’ Does their
presence within the C(‘A create a radical space of
difference or merely provide the cachet of otherness that post-modern institutions eat like air'.’
The work includes social actions. political statements. filtns. participatory computer-based works. research material. alternative trade systems. live performance. discussion forums and art objects — an unruly. fragmented and fragmenting attack on the art world. The Critical Art Ensemble present Arpad Pus/tai’s research in their ‘I5ree Range Grain‘ test ~ confiscated by the FBI itt 2004 - which explores the relationship between research. censorship and art practices. Ruth (‘atlow’s net art game ‘Rethinking Wargames' (where chess is played by three participants. and pawns join together to fight the oppressor) will be played on the 30 April in CC.»\:3. The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army will be helping kids transform toy soldiers into painted clowns. A ‘Self Regulating Poster Wall‘ will be given over to the gallery visitors‘ political whims — trestle
tables and wallpaper paste will be provided. of
CULII'SC.
102 THE LIST 17—31 Mar 3005
In clearing space for insurgent art practices. it would be naive to assume that ‘politics‘ will stay in the programming slot it has been allotted. If art objects are politico-cultural documents. constructed out of layers of ideologically loaded meaning filtered through formal languages. they will always leak into the white box of the gallery. whether we like it or not. When artists reject this framework. their reaction looks towards revolution. even w hen they play dumb.
The tradition of happin affrontittg the bourgeois spectator is not the whole story. .-\rt that has been taken out of the gallery finds itself beittg dragged
back in kicking and screaming. The documentation of
actions that attack the political status quo or the
gallery system can be found pinned to the walls of
institutions. and are frequently tamed in the process of installation. But. the obiect/action. or its documented idea. can act as a time bomb. allowing the colonialising thrust of the art world to incorporate it at its own risk. We wait for cracks to show attd the
juggernaut to shudder.
When art takes itself seriously and acts as a brilliant instigator of cultural and social change rather than a dull social realist document. artists practising within the institution can act as unruly and maladjiisted cogs in the machine. The internalising and disciplining power of the edifice can be used against itself. the machine can be temporarily stalled and ethical concerns rise to the surface with a dissonant aesthetic. The risk is always worth taking.
CCA, Glasgow, Sat 26 Mar-Sat 14 May
Visual Art >l<
llit
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
=I< Andy Warhol: Self Portraits Retrospective oi the pop man in red. yellow. blue; print. sketch, photo-booth; Illty. medium, huge. A latent fragility lurks behind the boldness. making this a fascinating show. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until Mon 2 May.
* Philosopher’s Garden Photographs by Robin Gillanders of Rousseau's garden in Ermenonvifle and Ian Hamilton Finlay's Little Sparta. Let there be peace. culture and love. Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, until Sun 5 May.
>l< RISK With the G8 summit on the horizon this exploration of political art couldn‘t have come at a more pertinent time. See preview. CCA, Glasgow. Sat 26 Mar—Sat 74 May.
* Simon Patterson The whole of the top floor is taken over by ‘Great Assembly: 1994'. Downstairs the iconic ‘Great Bear' from 1992 plots the routes and stops in cultural history. See review. Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 7 May.
it CELscotIand This new collaboration brings together some of Scotland's finest artists. including Martin Boyce, Christine Borland, Rosalind Nashashibi, Toby Paterson, David Sherry and Ross Sinclair for an exhibition of prints (pictured).
Glasgow Print Studio, until Sat 16 Apr.
>t< Tale of “no Cities Edinburgh has often been referred to as the city of fur coats and nae knickers — the Jekytl and Hyde approach to life. This exhibition reveals a 19th and 20th century take on the idea. See review. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, until Sun 8 May. * Behind Closed Doors An intruiging exhibition of key artists reactions to the built environment. DCA, Dundee, until Sun 7 May