INSTALLATION LORNA MACINTYRE Mary Mary, Glasgow, Sat 20 Jan—Fri 23 Feb
It's adVisabIe that when the figurative and the abstract meet they should do so in the clear empty spaces of the latter. otherwise the aesthetic object falls into the cheap embrace of anthroiiomorphism. The man- made material and the readymade are more difficult to internalise and humanise through identification. and they critique the process of doing so as they are ingested by the Viewer who needs to be spoon-fed. Glasgow-based Lorna Macintyre's installations. obiects and i.)hotographs successfully create situations that coolly examine this difficult aesthetic approach. where shelves. props. obiects and images lean on each other to create contingent resolutions and uneasy meanings for the Viewer.
In 2006 Macintyre exhibited new work in a solo show entitled 'The sun puts his arms right through my window in Galerie Kamm. Berlin. and exhibited wider an group shows throughout Europe iincluding Galerie Iris Karlel. K2.tfl$ftlf‘.(3. Galleria Francesca Kaufmann. Milan and Alexandre PoIIa/xon Ltd. Londoni. Her aesthetic is born from an acute awareness that the correspoiidences we choose to make I')eti.«veen objects. images and materials in our fife-world are stylistic tropes in themselves; Macintyre's art objects act as sentences. proposztions that link the random subiect matter we wade though in our daily lives.
In examining the synthetic relationship we create between "the mai‘imade' and ‘the natural' in this exhibition. lvlclntyre will further trouble the line between apparent opposites i'nature' and ‘cuIture' fight it out in the artist's actionsi. expanding the theoretical space between these dialectical points and continuing a clipped but engaging visual vocabulary. iAIexander Kennedy)
DRAWING. Fll. M. INSTALIATION. THE METAL BRIDGE - GROUP SHOW Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Sat 20 Jan 0000
PAINTING. FILM. PHOTOGRAPHY. INSTALIATION AGGREGATE, JAMIE SHOVLIN
The Talbot Rice Gallery, The University of Edinburgh, Sat 20 Jan—Sat 10 Mar
Museological stirrings are already afoot at the Talbot Rice Gallery. London-based artist Jamie Shovlin has pulled out multiple dusty copies of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species from the University of Edinburgh’s private collection, ready to be displayed alongside a preserved sparrow hawk in an entomology case, meticulous ornithological drawings of birds and other such ephemera. Entitled ‘Aggregate’, this exhibition is part of a tour that began with the City Gallery, Leicester, before Artsway, New Forest, then the Talbot Rice, culminating at the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne. In touring these places Shovlin’s exhibition has intentionally grown, gathering personal artefacts along the way to expand his visual vocabulary. Darwin’s book forms a central point of reference for Shovlin’s exhibition, being partially
This small group show brings together the work of four artists - Steven Claydon iLondoni. Thomas Helbing IBerIini Craig Mulholland. and Duncan Marquiss (who both live in Glasgovri. The artists share a sense of seriousness. exhibiting work that creates a foreboding atmosphere where the threat of violence or psychological damage is never far away. The title of the show refers to the
tendency within the artist's aesthetics to reach from one material to another. post- medium art that revels in the limitations of its unaVOidabIe supports. There is a certain 'purism' to each of the artists' paintings. drawings. films and sculptures. supported by a hard .von precision and certainty Of approach.
Claydon's installation is very tidy. created out of objects that somehow manage to conceal their significance. Alternatively. Mulholland uses the flat surface of etched polycarbonate to present assemblages that clearly refer to broken windows as glittering starbursts. This series. entitled ‘Broken Pain'. acts as a backdrop for a sculpture that is reminiscent of a gothic stage prop or torture
deVice. The soundtrack adds to the sense of unease.
In the second gallery. llelbig's drawings manage to induce a sense of barely restrmned mania. with marks appearing after every other action has been taken. Duncan Ivlarguiss' drawnig. ‘No Volunteers Came Forward'. and excellent film. 'A Nothing With a Vengeance. continue the artist's suggestive exploration of "
ceremonies With occult overtones. Both pieces are haunting and elegant. building on elements that his peerless MFA show introduced in 2005‘). (Alexander Kennedy)
Visual Art
factual, partially theoretical, so how much of it should be accepted as the ultimate truth? Shovlin’s eclectic displays will aim to question and subvert such knowledge systems which aim to educate us, including museum and gallery classifications, deliberately giving drawings, photographs and displays misleading or unexpected titles and arranging them in unusual ways.
Along with the museum-style pieces, more personal works will be on show, including a film about Shovlin’s mother and her interest in completing jigsaws while birdwatching. As well as this, unplanned pieces will be on show, which have accumulated along the exhibition’s journey. Bringing together a wide range of sources and displaying them in unexpected ways forms the basis of the exhibition; previous exhibitions have laid out series of small works across the floor in colourful frames or cases or piled pieces up in stacks, so be ready for some unanticipated surprises. (Rosie Lesso)
Craig Mulholland
18 .Jan- l Feb 2’()())' THE LIST 83