‘I HAVE SHOWN NO FIDELITY TO THE TRUE UNCONSCIOUS PROCESS'
Softy softly
Alexander Kennedy tunes into he quiet, brave adventurings of artist TACITA DEAN as she embarks on a journey of curation.
n the hands ol' Berlin-based British artist Tacita
Dean. the work ol' l7 l‘ellow international artists is
selected and presented in the i’ruitmarket (iallery as An Asir/r’. propagating new meanings through instinctive and emotional juxtapositions. As part oi the Hayward (iallery London‘s National Touring lixhibitions Programme. the work shown includes sculpture. paintings. drawings and lilms by l.othar Baumgarten. .loseph Bc‘ttys. Rodney (iraham. Sharon Lockhart. l’aul Nash. Thomas ScheibiU. Thomas Schtittc and Kurt Schwitters. amongst many others.
The work demonstrates idiosyncratic lines of
association and enqttiry. highlighted by Dean’s explorations and ctIratorial selections. The journey into the natural becomes lantastical. l'or example. with Batimgarten's slideshow ol' images taken of swampy areas ol‘ the Rhineland becoming documents ol’ an almost magical realist adventure into an unlikely exotic hinterland. Arts marriage ol‘ the natural to the artilicial is also celebrated in Rodney (iraham‘s l‘ilm ‘Rheitnnetall/Victoria 8‘. in which sicvcd lilour tails like snow on a typewriter. symbolically and superficially concealing the interplay ol culture and its pristine machines. Kurt Schwitters' rarely exhibited painted stones are placed next to clay heads by Marisa Men and a sketch oi a sculpted head by (icrhard Richter. The geological theme continues in the photos ol‘ rocks by liileen Agar. in the unlinishcd gravestone by Thomas Schcibit/ and the paintings oi stories by Paul Nash. Some call it curating. but l)ean manages to make the process sound like a calling. where organic and arcane correspondences are created: l'ormal and personal
relationships are made between the works shown. This kind of perl‘ormative curating. for which personal desire is openly admitted and used to guide the curator. is a relreshing take on the usual selection by committee. dttring which common sense and stunted passions generate bland shows that look good on paper.
Rather than a sterile branch of institutional critique. the role of ‘artist as curator' allows artistry and meaning to spill out of each object. creating el‘l‘ervescent hybrids. [n A” Asi'r/r'. l'or exatnple. Patti Nash and liileen Agar‘s ten year relationship is invoked as an absence in and between their works; history and the myth of original context lloat ol‘l' like pcrl'ttme. leaving invisible traces. intangible dill‘erences.
In the seductive and eloquent text that accompanies this exhibition. Dean says: ‘l described it as a process of objective chance. I have shown no lidelity to the true unconscious process: some of my decisions have been associative. while others feel they have been very l'ornially arrived at’. Dean‘s ‘objective chance‘ adapts surrealist methodologies. where the unconscious is welcomed into the creative process and clashes with the materials used. That said. Dean’s “use of the art objects is more subtle than this. As the title ol‘ the exhibition tells us. she uses the works in a way that speaks directly and quietly to the audience without dramatically al'lccting the works staged in the gallery. As an aside. the art objects will he intimately revealed to the viewer. via the sol/r) war (it Dean‘s personal desires.
An Aside, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 14 May-Tue 12 July.
Visual Art
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
.7 S snoras;;e.s fluff-2'- 7-0
:2: This Peaceful War - The Jumex Collection Works of a political nature plucked from the juicy Mexican collection, including pieces by Santiago Sierra. Francis Alys and Minerva Cuevas. See review. page 104. Tramway. Glasgow. until Sat 22 May.
=2: Evergeen Science and art aspire to greatness and get as close as is humanly possible. See review. page 105. lnver/eith House. Edinburgh. until Sun 3 Jul.
=2: ROAR With the art of cartoons and comics enjoying a golden age. this is a timely show of the best Scottish graphic artists. Including work by Shug. Dave Alexander. early work by Frank Quietly and creators of the lovely Louis (pictured). metaphrog. See picture caption. page 106. DGP Studio. Glasgow, until Thu 2 Jun.
:1: When the Sun Goes Down Subtle images of hell and destruction. couched in fairytale illustration from the Chapman brothers while video work by Douglas Gordon reveals a thoroughly uncomfortable and insistent colouring in and shaving of two hands. See reVIew. page 104. Glasgow Print Stud/O. until Sat 28 May.
2:. An Aside Artist Taoita Dean- curates this Show which Includes work by Joseph Beuys. Sharon Lockhart and Paul Nash and journeys from the natural to the fantastical in quietly bold steps. See preVIew. page 103. Fruit/harks? Gallery. Edinburgh, Sat 14 May—Sun 17 Jul.
:2: Pass the Time of Day Some of the best things come out of our response to boredom — two fingers to ennui. And music and an are two of the most potent forces. They come together here wuth insistent rhythm. clash and rhyme. Collective Gallery. Edinburgh, until Sat 14 May.
".‘IM’JI. 'THF LIST 103