MAN IS THE BATTLEGROUND FOR A DUALISTIC WAR
Cowcaddens in the 503
Gray's anatomy
Alexander Kennedy views some of Alasdair Gray’s best known works and best kept secrets in a retrospective exhibition of the work of the author and artist
o cherry pick trom one's own «more sounds delightl‘ully' painl‘ul. a sell indulgent task requiring sticky lingers and a good eye. It slitttlltl be someone L‘lSL“.\ L‘lty'ittltle jolt. especially
when the artist in question is .-\lasdair (iray. one ol
Scotland's most accomplished Illth century authors and draughtsmen. (‘iray' was asked to do just that lot" a retrospectiy'e exhibition at the recently relocated ('ale (‘ossachok in (ilasgow‘s Merchant (‘ity.
The show ltl'iltgs together it L‘Ullectltttt (ll. works on
paper and paintings that span oy er 50 years ol'
creatiyity‘. .»\n obsession with art. literature. boo/e. women and watering holes reigns in the work shown. which is somehow to be e\pected. btit larger themes also emerge. training the works tsometimes literally l like mythic gatekeepers and cary'atids. namely theology. morality and death.
These concerns hay e always played t‘oundational roles in (iray's literature. where men and women run and tumble through time. pursued with l'niyersal truths and man-made l'ictions. These works are symbolic representations ot‘ that hunt. with characters from his books and t‘rom lit'e coyering the badly lit walls ot‘ this subterranean gallery. There is something apt about Viewing these illuminations in such an enyironment ithe space t'eels like a quickly gutted office). The slightly oppressiye atmosphere draws out the darker elements in the drawings and paintings. Biblical themes become almost heretical and heraldic in Gray's hands. particularly in his designs t'or "The Fall ot‘ Kely'in Walker" t I‘NZl. ‘.-\nd the Lord Prepared a Gourd‘ and ‘We the Sayed. Thou the Damned iboth l95ll‘. ln work such as this the artist's graphic style
90 THE LIST -1 “3 \‘Ct .‘ ‘."
draws on woodblocks and hand painted manuscripts. alchemical grimoii‘es and prayer books. \n almost Blakcan sense ol' the irrationalin ol eyci'yday reality and the indubitable presence ot the beyond tall in and out ol each other in his painted drawings. with \lan the battleground l‘oi' this dualislic war.
But among these theological eyposiiions are what appear to be more priyate. intimate moments rendered in ballpoint. pencil and watercolour. \lcmbers ol ilie artist's tamin and portraits ol' his closest tiiends are here. peering trom the walls as characters in the narratiye ol this temporary lrcsco. ’l'he playlul and wonderlully ai'tilicial line that the best artist linds on the surlace ol a lace is here. on the lace ol a young boy in 'l’oi'trait ol' .'\ndrew'. .-\ single precise ink line rises as the petulant crest ol a way e o\ er the brow and then talls down the nose. cupid-s bow and chin ol a beautil'ul. young boy. lilsewhere. '.luliet in Red 'l‘rousers' brings a dil'lcrent kind ol intimacy .i bobbed and hall—naked .ludiih or Salome stares down at the \iew er ti‘om a richly decorated liyiiig room chair. now a throne.
ll is llllpt)\\ll‘lt' tit c‘\c‘ll tttlc‘lllpl lit tllsc'tlss tllc‘ amount and complcyity ol the works on show. 5H or so pieces acting as highlights in this dimly lit space. an illuminated lite. The enormous light iii a still \iial talent shines in the darkness. rising tip oy er the breast ol a hill in the understated yet brilliant 'l)awn l‘irth' l l‘lolli. and in the blood red tull stop iii a sun in the sky in ‘Signalling a .\linister' iletlor.
Café Cossachok, Glasgow, until Sat 20 Oct 0000
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS ‘
": Duncan Marquiss: The Clay Wall Marittiiss has (iiiickly become a respect at and influential artist ‘.‘Jitllsllltl ll‘ Scotland. and has recenti. received a Scottish Arts
Count '.ll Si ottisli Screen Artists lilin and \/l(lt"-() Award to continue working in the medium of film. lhis new piece continues his lasi‘i'iatii in With the occult and ritual. lltt'llltff} that he manages to handle \‘.‘!lll great ease, avoiding thr- ‘schlock horror" ‘.dt?l8.‘§lltl(l(}f1 that the fStlllJEVl riiatter r an invoke. See i'eView, page {it The Changing Room ()allely. Stirling. tint/l Sat 2’7 Oct.
‘1‘ Alisdair Gray: 1950-2007 A retrospective of watercolours. drawings. dust iacket designs and paintings by one of Scotland's most respected di‘aughtsinen and authors. ihe work on show includes well known paintings i‘etently shown at Glasgow School of Art (‘Cowcarldens in the ins' and 'May l-looper'l as well as some early landscapes and portraits of family members and close ti'iends. See i'eView. oppr site, Cale (Ir ssacliok. Glasgow, il/itil Sat 90 Oct.
:1? Joanna Billing: Keep On Doing The Sweden horn artist's film based work examines the awkwardness created when non actors and strangers are brought together in unfamiliar surroundings and forced to interact in social actrvrties. The exhibition takes a diverse. retrosiiective look at Billings practice. With Videos ranging from 1999 onward and some works wrth personal or autobiographical content.
DOA. Dundee. tint/l Sun 4 Nov. :1‘ Warhol: A Celebration of Life . . . and Death The first maior exhibition of the American Pop artist‘s work in Scotland for a decade. Many of the works on show come from the recently purchased Anthony d'Offay collection and act as testament to Warhol's genius. Expect Lizzes. Marilyns. and dollar signs aplenty in work that celebrates materialism and mortality. National Gallery Complex. The Mound. Edinburgh, until Sun 7 Oct.