Visual Art
Playing God
In the grounds of a gothic mansion on the Isle of Bute, Nathan Coley has created a compelling series of installations on the subject of faith, as Nick Barley discovers.
here will be no miracles here. This is the
starting point for Nathan (‘oley‘s installation in
the grand gardens that surround the crazy Mount Stuart. home of the Marquess of Bute. Rationality will win out over faith. (‘oley seems to suggest. in a nod at the Enlightenment thinking which led to Hume's treatise ()n Miracles in 1748.
There will be no miracles here. Written in the kind of illuminated sign lettering you'd see on the seafront at Blackpool. and mounted on a temporary scaffolding structure. this could equally be read as a self-denigrating quip about the nature of (‘oley‘s own art. or about the punch drunk feel of Bute itself — Glasgow's slightly tatty post-war playground. now best known for its tragically tin-miraculous star Lena Zavaroni and her father‘s ice cream shop. ()n the other hand. it could be read as a plangent plea from a French king. so troubled by acts of necromancy in the seventeenth century. that he issued posters around the Haute Savoie village of Modseinc: ‘There will be no miracles here. by order of the king’. The very need to make this exhortation suggests that Mount Stuart is indeed the site of regular miracles — otherwise. why
bother denying them? Look deeper into the history of
the family and you’ll find some characters who. if not exactly miraculous. are at the very least larger than life. The current generation includes the seventh Marquess. also known as racing driver Johnny Dumfries. and his sister Sophie Crichton-Stuart. responsible for this series of art installations that strike up careful conversations with the heavyweight gothic splendour of the family home. Rewind through history and you find the third Marquess of Bute. who
88 THE LIST 25 May—8 June 2006
‘COLEY SEEMS TO SUGGEST RATIONALITY WILL WIN OUT OVER FAITH'
scandaloust converted to (‘atholicism at the age of
20. and is now the subject of another intervention by ('oley. After his death in l‘)()(). the Marquess — inspired by the actions of Robert the Bruce —- had his heart cut out. and transported in a silver heart-shaped case to be buried on the Mount of ()lives in Jerusalem. In a gesture that is both emotionally resonant and stunnineg simple. (‘oley has persuaded the (‘richton-Stuart family to place this beautiful silver casket (now empty. of course) on display for the first time in the chapel adjoining the house. Inscribed with the phrase. ‘Thy wounds are my merits'. over an image of a crucified Jesus. the casket sits hauntingly. bathed in blood red light thrown by the chapel‘s stained glass windows.
Meanwhile. in the nearby Visitor Centre. Coley has developed his work with models of places of worship. of the type he first showed in Birmingham's lkon (iallery. For Butc. he has made three scale models: a mosque. a synagogue and a church. but each is covered with the rudimentary striped camouflage used by dazzle ships during World War I. It‘s a simple but powerful confTation of the semiology of faith and war.
All of ('oley‘s considerable talents are in evidence in this series of installations. Alongside them. deeply reflective projects from previous years by Anya (iallaccio and Langlands & Bell can still be seen. Here on Bute. Coley's work adds critical mass to a collection of projects that should be a destination for everyone who has faith in contemporary art.
Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, until Sat 30 Sep. ooooo
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
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7r Nathan Coley at Mount Stuart The Dundee-based artist continues the program in which established contemporary artists are invited to exhibit at the home of the Marquess of Bute. Coley melds the romantic setting and the family's illustrious histOry to his rational approach to art making, creating a series of installations that are well worth the mini-expedition for central- belters. Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute, until Sat 30 Sep. See review, left.
2’ Katsutoshl Yuasa - Contrasts Subtle monochromatic handmade prints by the Japanese artist. Yuasa’s work clears mental space for the viewer. allowing quiet reflection, translating banal photographs into layers of printed surfaces. The artist employs traditional Japanese printmaking techniques where meticulous attention to detail creates Op art resonances. Corn Exchange Gallery, Edinburgh, until Thu 22 Jan. See review, page 90.
Dirk Boll New photographs and works on paper by the German artist. Bell draws on a wide symbolic language. creating spiralling correspondences and rendering the results of his alchemical experiments on unlikely surtaces. By scraping and drawing on photographic negatives. the artist as magus brings light to darkness and visa versa. The Modern Institute, Glasgow, until Sat 17 Jun. See review, page 90.
* Rockrldgo - Group Show An exhibition of work by young artists who utilise and expand the trompe l'oei/ tradition. This exhibition examines and plays with the viewer's perceptions and experience of reality, creating humorous and simulacral sculptures and paintings that play tricks on the eyes. The Embassy, Edinburgh, until Sun 4 Jun. See review, page 90.