Visual Art
PAINTING WINSTON ROETH lngleby Gallery, Edinburgh, until Fri 22 Dec 0” The most powerful work in this show is a piece entitled ‘Edinburgh Slate Assembly', which consists of seven 50cm x 30cm slates, each painted in a different shade of dense tempera - there are two blues, two purples, a yellow, a pink and a black. The slates have pre-made nail holes which have been used to hang each of the tiles in an exact spatial relationship with its neighbour. The work is striking in its simplicity, bold in its execution and impact. The price tag is also striking: £8500 plus VAT.
Is it worth it, you may ask? Is such an unguarded reaction ‘philistine'? Or is it valid and, if so, how does it affect our aesthetic judgement . . . ? It’s not an easy question to answer but asking it is useful not least
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because it illustrates one of the perennial issues surrounding " r . ‘_ ‘ _ j
discussion of almost any work of art: it’s ‘true’ value. Here, of course, it reflects Roeth’s high standing in his native US and his long and j, I. : distinguished career. , a v Moving around this small show (there are only nine works), trying to “WW” forget the price tags and focus on an ‘objective’ reading of the work is u not easy. However, the work is quiet, contemplative and simple but not " .. j simplistic. Roeth is an artist captivated by colour - ‘pure’ colour, that is “*‘"“"‘"*‘”“"” — and how using it in various combinations of delineated geometric ‘ form can affect the senses. Often words like ‘ambience’ and ‘mood’ ' ._ . . come to mind when looking at the work. There are others, too, such as We"?! - — = ._ ~ . , 7 ‘resonance’ and ‘depth’. The works speak to the mind as much as the I" j. g g eye and they induce, if one lets them, a kind of hypnotic joy which is ' ' . , ‘ I I . 2 . ' _ ' ‘ 7w A _. ' ~. .' g, increased all the more through time. - v. A, . f 1 . " g I- ~ -. Time spent looking at abstract blocks of colour in our time-poor v- 'I ' k I f7 r 5 i . .f _' _ A I ' j: .r‘ .- ‘ ~ " j ' culture may be defined by some as time ‘wasted’. But, however cynical a V I . r » . ‘ _‘ " ' -' I; ‘ r. ~ 'g f I‘ one may feel about the price tags, it is nevertheless easy to be seduced . ,, , . _. _ y ,_ V_ j a by the density and depth of intent in these works. (Giles Sutherland) '
INSTALLATION ANDREW REID The Changing Room, Stirling, until Sun 7 Jan 2007 0000
The window of The Changing Room is transformed into the vitrine of a manufactured socio- cultural artefact. Andrew Reid's installation — an almost entirely grey model — is a mixture of architectural styles spanning the period from the Egyptian pyramids to the present day. Most notably the model resembles a nightmarish take on King Solomon's Temple. part oilrig. pan Tudor hamlet. complete with a village cross painted neon orange. Reid explores the relationship between the corporate and the creative in this new work, which he will modify over the course
INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE
GILES BAILEY - SOUND EXAMPLES FOR ‘AVERAGE PERFORMANCE’ EXPERIMENTS
Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, until Sat 18 Nov 000
What are we other than a bag of warped memories with some genitals attached? The decentered subject that was I‘eralded almost 40 years ago is a theoretical construction that has just not caught on. The postmodern subject still judders and slides like an unstoppable repulsive juggernaut. but Giles Bailey's Sound Examples for ‘Average Pen‘ormance' Experiments demonstrates how art can de- naturalise this eaSy flow of existentially unexamined lives that clog the streets.
He plunders his past for information concerning his father's job, visits his father's work place. and weaves this together with slides and found film from electro acoustic experiments in a 35 minute performed lecture. The Transmission floor is covered in grey industrial carpet and the room is set up to resemble a small lecture theatre. with graphs. photos, and other miscellany that refer to the topic of discussion. This is an aesthetically sparse installation (typical of an ‘old skool' GSA environmental art student). set up underneath a cloud of high seriousness (Sublimated hysteria). Bailey’s dead-pan presentation and school boy delivery draw attention to the fact that all the information that he presents is meinorised. Two visits demonstrate that the content is still exactly the same. water is sipped and slides are flicked at the same points.
So. what have we learnt? Nothing at all ab0ut electro acoustic experiments and possibly very little about art. But we are given a sly insight into the machinations of modern subjectivity — the repetitions. lacunae and masochism of being a bad social actor. (Alexander Kennedy)
94 THE LIST 16—30 Nov 2006
of its display.
The room-set within which the model is situated confirms this is the architectural model for a future project. an empire for the lone gold figure that occupies its grounds. along with his gold wheelchair. The corporate logo which adorns the model's side and the portrait of a businessman hung above it (a close resemblance to Bill Gates) emphasise the oppressive nature which the factilious corporation has in this fantasy world. The recognition of these harvested architectural styles draws yOu into the world Reid has created. while the shoplront's glass keeps you at arms length, giving the work the feel of a museum exhibit of the future.
Reid harnesses the allure of the miniature while juxtaposing various elements. developing new meanings that challenge existing social and architectural iconography. Elements of the work are purposefully impenetrable. putting interpretation firmly in the hands of the viewer. This is possibly the most captivating aspect of the work. (Steven Cairns)