Visual Art
www.list.co.uk/visualart
‘THE PROCESS IS ABOUT THE NOTION OF CREATIVITY’ Hitlist THE BEST EXHIBITIONS *
✽✽ Duncan Campbell: Make it New John Campbell explores the equation of chrome with sex in his cinema vérité-style documentary about the life of American car engineer John DeLorean. See review, page 89. Tramway, Glasgow, until Sun 14 Mar. ✽✽ Love Last chance to catch this playful group show, which features work by renowned artistic partnerships, including Gilbert and George. Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Fri 19 Feb. ✽✽ BP Portrait Award 2009 Popular exhibition of winners and runners-up in the well- subscribed contemporary portrait painting competition. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 21 Feb. ✽✽ What You See is Where You’re At A complete re-hang in honour of the artistic institution’s half-century. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until Sun 28 Feb. ✽✽ Drawing for Instruction: The Art of Explanation Collection of drawings and images drawn from different archives and institutions across Edinburgh. See review, page 89. Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sat 6 Mar. ✽✽ Alexis Marguerite Teplin: 5cm higher New work from the Californian-born artist, whose practice combines art history and pop art to stunning effect. Reviewed next issue. Mary Mary, Glasgow, until Sun 27 Mar. ✽✽ Peter Liversidge: The Thrill of it All The artist tackles a series of outlandish and intriguing proposals in this major solo exhibition. See preview, left. Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, Tue 23 Feb–Sat 10 Apr.
Work in process Peter Liversidge discusses his unique creative practice and interest in exploring institutional structures with Rosalie Doubal
‘I propose to give a motivational speech to Scottish business leaders.’ Hand-typed, darkly humorous and posted to the gallery, this typifies London-based artist Peter Liversidge’s way of working. It sits among a host of 159 similarly offbeat, yet considered suggestions for performances and artworks, all destined for aptly-named publication, Ingleby Proposals, and forming the basis for his upcoming exhibition.
Many of these will be realised, but only after a reworking of Liversidge’s internationally staged Gin Performance, in which shots of Hendricks with cucumber will be gifted from a gin stand surrounded with white bunting. The performance will last for the duration of the bottle before the address commences.
‘I propose to spend two days driving all the hire cars from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and leaving them in Glasgow,’ continues Liversidge, listing some of his ideas: ‘A large wall drawing based on a fragment of an envelope that contains the application for a British Passport; a visit to all 790 of the offshore Islands surrounding Scotland, and a Floral Tribute reading: fear not for the future, weep not for the past . . .’ The artist has turned his playful gaze to many other cities, nations, galleries and institutions. Recent projects include Proposals for Liverpool at Tate Liverpool; Proposals for Barcelona at the Centre d’Art Santa Monica, and Proposals for Brussels at the Europalia Festival. Relying only on this practice of writing suggestions, yet always producing new works and often using methods and processes for the first time, Liversidge’s exhibitions toy with a gentle
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institutional critique. ‘I think that there is something to be said for seeing behind the mask of an institution, be it international, national or local,’ he says. ‘We all have our strengths and our weaknesses.’ More is at work here, however, than a subtle exposition of art world structures. ‘The process is also about the notion of creativity,’ Liversidge suggests. ‘It’s important that some of the proposals are actually realised and that others remain only as text on a piece of A4 paper. In a sense they are all possible and the bookwork that collates the proposals allows the reader to curate their own show.’
Liversidge’s work owes much of its charm to individual interactions with the proposals, for humour in all its weird and wonderfully subjective guises is given more than one chance to strike a chord, and there is something here to tickle every taste. Lauded for the Jupiter Artland opening, Midsummer Snow Storm, for which the artist produced a wintry flurry on the longest day of the year, Liversidge has since been commissioned to produce 50 proposals in celebration of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s 50th Anniversary. ‘Celebration is very much part of being in the moment, and afterwards, the memory of the event is all that there is. The proposals lend themselves to this because they work in a way to involve the imagination of the viewer/reader to what might be possible and the imagined possibilities of what is not yet realised.’
Peter Liversidge: The Thrill of It All, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, Tue 23 Feb–Sat 10 Apr.