VisualArt OUTSIDE THE FESTIVALS
list.co.uk/visualart
HITLIST THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
K R A L C H T U R
REVIEW SCULPTURE URS FISCHER & GEORG HEROLD The Modern Institute, Glasgow, until Sat 3 Sep ●●●●●
On a red divan a reclining nude has settled into a classical pose. She appears completely still, her milk- white skin wraps serenely around her hyper-real body, her glassy blue eyes complete the lifelike sculpture. Upon closer inspection the rise and fall of her stomach reveals that she is flesh and blood. This confrontation with a life model is the part of the exhibition that is most intriguing.
Her surroundings are something between a
deserted studio space and an unfinished gallery installation. A series of clay figurines, displayed on rough-edged, non-pristine white plinths, captures poses clearly derived from working with life models. In a joint project Urs Fischer and George Herold took up residency in the gallery and used it as a studio. To add to the transformation of the space the back wall of the gallery has been knocked out revealing the original wall of the former bathhouse. Fischer has ripped out walls before and in 2007 he
led an excavation in New York’s Gavin Brown gallery, where he dug out the entire floor space eight feet deep. The entropic fate of the unfired clay sculptures here is exemplary of his practice. These will all be left to crack and crumble until the end of the show, after which they will be preserved. The more abstracted, elongated figures look like they have been sculpted by the hands of Georg Herold, but where he normally takes pleasure in using unconventional materials the use of clay is surprisingly orthodox.
Machismo abounds and the air feels thick with
historical references to art-making processes. At the back the inclusion of the model’s intimate changing area brings a tenderness to the viewer’s experience. It is the navigation around the objects in the space and specifically around the nameless female nude that brings a renewed awareness to how we engage with exhibitions. What is not clear is the intention behind staging this pseudo re-enactment. Are we really that comfortable in scrutinising an
unknown naked body in the same way as a sculpture replicating her? This exhibition presents a generous opportunity to find out. (Talitha Kotzé)
REVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY GINA GLOVER: PLAYGROUNDS OF WAR Streetlevel Photoworks, Glasgow, until Sun 7 Aug ●●●●●
London born Gina Glover’s fascination with the psychic detritus of abandoned military bases comes from her own childhood confrontation with these landscapes. Not fully grasping the meaning of these haunting scenes at the time, today she plays unofficial archaeologist to the Harrington site and collaborates with local inhabitants to uncover some of the human stories. Her scanograms are taxonomic arrangements of the memorabilia of war that present bits of bomber aircraft, war kit, shells, bottles and so on.
Her pictures are evocative. Beautifully composed, with linear
perspective and clear focal points, they guide the viewer’s eyes around the picture plane. For most of the photographs in the exhibition she used the primitive technology of pinhole photography. This technique of long exposures and layering of light creates dramatic effects, and softens the impact of a Cold War hangover. The colour photographs capture pill boxes and other utilitarian rubble as exquisite ruins in the landscape, giving them a meaning beyond the paranoia they invoke. White clouds moving over spectacular blue skies make the landscapes surreal and mythical, haunted by the memories of old wars. (Talitha Kotzé)
Live Your Questions Now Group exhibition which asks what emergent artists can learn from an older generation of practitioners. Featured artists include Sam Ainsley, Helena Almeida, and Lygia Pape. Reviewed next issue. Mackintosh Museum, Glasgow School of Art, until Sat 1 Oct.
Gina Glover: Playgrounds of War Glover’s beautifully composed, evocative images capture the haunting landscapes around abandoned military bases near the artist’s home. See review, left. Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, until Sun 7 Aug.
Young Talent This year’s Create Programme draws to a close with an exhibition of work by the annual event’s youthful participants. Now in its 11th year the show features a vibrant mix of painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics and textiles. Project Ability, Glasgow, until Sat 20 Aug.
British Art Show 7 The immense touring showcase of works by some of the most fêted artists on these islands continues, including artworks by Sarah Lucas, Alasdair Gray, Christian Marclay, Luke Fowler and Charles Avery. CCA, Gallery of Modern Art & Tramway, Glasgow, until Sun 21 Aug.
First of the Summer Wine An excellent collection of works by famous and lesser-known Scottish artists, including Elizabeth Blackadder, FCB Cadell, Joan Eardley, JD Fergusson and many more. Cyril Gerber Fine Art, Glasgow, until Wed 31 Aug.
Breaking the Renaissance Code This small but compelling exhibition looks at advertising, branding and contemporary artists alongside the work of Renaissance masters such as Dürer, Holbein and Rembrandt. Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow, until Tue 4 Oct.
4–11 Aug 2011 THE LIST 123