AUTUMN PREVIEW VISUAL ART
Straight from the art Allan Radcliffe picks five exhibitions to look out for this autumn
PORTRAIT OF THE NATION While the National Portrait Gallery is not due to re-open until autumn 2011, this exhibition at the National Galleries complex provides a sneak preview of how the newly refurbished gallery will look. Works on display range from classic portraits to contemporary portraits such as Ken Currie’s ‘Three Oncologists’ (pictured). National Galleries Complex, Edinburgh, Sat 2 Oct–Fri 31 Dec.
CHILDISH THINGS Curated by David Hopkins, this exhibition focuses on the post Dada/surrealist exploration of toys and early childhood in art, bringing together seminal works from the 1980s and
1990s by international artists, which explore the theme of toys, childhood, child development and the cultural conditioning of children. The show includes work by Louise Bourgeois, Mike Kelley and Jeff Koons (whose ‘Bear and Policeman’ is pictured). Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Sat 13 Nov–Sun 9 Jan.
WALLS OF LIGHT Specially commissioned films by six leading Scottish artists will be screened at various venues across Glasgow to mark the Commonwealth Games handover, including Alex Hetherington’s Linda Fratianne (pictured), about the controversial US figure skater who is known for her flamboyant costumes as well as for her freestyle technique. Various venues, Glasgow, from Thu 14 Oct.
31 MUSIC Brooklyn pop-rock
experimentalists Yeasayer will be flooding the O2 ABC with their perky/psychedelic melodies (and visuals) on Sun 24 Oct. Joining them will be fellow Brooklynite 80s- influenced dance-poppers Suckers.
32 BOOKS Sir Mick Jagger is said to
be displeased about the release of Keith Richards’ autobiography, Life, on Tue 26 Oct. The book will apparently go into great detail about the working relationship between the Stones, and don’t discount the potential for binge drinking, drug taking and groupie fondling in there as well.
33 FILM John Landis’ comic re-
telling of the story of Burke and Hare comes out on Fri 29 Oct – just in time for the Hallowe’en weekend, you’ll notice. It stars Andy Serkis, Tim Curry and Simon Pegg – for more info, see our interview with the latter on page 20.
34 FESTIVAL The International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts is bringing their IETM: Voices event to Glasgow between Thu 4–Sun 7 Nov. Consisting of four days of contemporary theatre, dance, street and live arts, it’s all based around that ‘mysterious organ’ the voice. We’re suitably intruiged.
35 BOOKS Sunset Park, the new novel
by existentialist author Paul Auster, hits the bookshelves on
Thu 4 Nov. It concerns a disparate group of characters who are brought together by a shadowy figure during the first months of the financial collapse.
28 THE LIST 9–23 Sep 2010