VISUAL ART
REVIEW MIXED MEDIA JOINT SHOW HENRY COOMBES AND CARLES CONGOST: MAN OF THE YEAR CCA, Glasgow, until Sun 26 Jan ●●●●●
‘Man of the Year’ takes its title from Time magazine’s popular series (now re-named ‘Person of the Year’), which selects influential and illustrious figures for the iconic magazine’s annual award. The CCA’s exhibition seeks to tackle the notions of rivalry, self-promotion and male domination that are inherent in such awards, focusing instead on their place within the art world. In the show’s accompanying text, curator Emma Brasó urges us to ask whether the artists, Henry Coombes
and Carles Congost, are collaborating in the exhibition or entering into a game of competition. There are two entrances – one opens on Coombes’ whimsical Rorschach ink works, the other on to
Congost’s ‘Bad Painting’ series, which contains both films and acrylic paintings. A tension already exists in the different aesthetics of the artists, which this separation accentuates.
In the third room, two large video projections, one by each artist, are placed opposite each other as if in a stand-off. Congost’s film ‘Paradigm’ is a slow motion recording of mute male characters – a policeman and a father and son engaged in an ambiguous exchange that flits from suspense to humour. Coombes is a worthy opponent, though, and his most recent work Two Discs and a Zed plays when Paradigm finishes. It documents a hungry wolf roaming around the National Galleries of Scotland, its silky black fur blurring into the rich Baroque paintings in the background. The scene then switches to the mountainous landscape of the Highlands, where an Iron Age artist (played by Coombes) self-consciously labours over his work. Whether colliding head-on or exhibiting separately, there is a lack of cohesion between the two artists.
Individually, their work is engaging, but a successful collaboration is disrupted in order to explore the competitive, hostile and masculine nature of the art world. (Rachael Cloughton)
LAST CHANCE Casinista: The Unbreakables Until Sun 22 Dec. Small objects, an installation and sculptures by mysterious artist of ‘pan- global’ origin whose pseudonym is the Italian for ‘troublemaker’. NEW Witness: Design and Build Mon 13–Sat 18 Jan. Exhibition representing the creation of the Witness
ARTIST ROOMS: Louise Bourgeois A Woman Without Secrets Until 18 May 2014 Modern One, Belford Road, Edinburgh Free admission
The ARTIST ROOMS collection of modern and contemporary art is jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate, and was established through The d’Offay Donation in 2008 with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, and the Scottish and British Governments. 130 THE LIST 12 Dec 2013–23 Jan 2014
exhibition by Robert McNeill at the Mitchell Library.
■ KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY & MUSEUM Argyle Street, 276 9599. Mon–Thu & Sat 10am–5pm; Fri & Sun 11am–5pm. Gallery closed Wed 25 & Thu 26 Dec and Wed 1 & Thu 2 Jan; open Tue 31 Dec 10am–12.30pm. Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective Until Sun 23 Feb. £5 (£3). First major retrospective by Scotland’s most successful living painter.
■ THE LIGHTHOUSE 11 Mitchell Lane, 276 5360. Mon–Sat 10.30am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Gallery closed Wed 25 Dec–Thu 2 Jan; open Tue 24 Dec 10.30am–4pm. Fun Makes Good: A New Angle Until Sun 12 Jan. A site-specific textile installation inspired by both the newer and older aspects of the Lighthouse’s design. ■ LILLIE ART GALLERY Station Road, Milngavie, 956 5536. Tue–Sat 10am–1pm & 2–5pm. Gallery closed Fri 20 Dec–Fri 10 Jan. LAST CHANCE Gifted Until Thu 19 Dec. Christmas exhibition with paintings, drawings, photography, ceramic works, textiles and jewellery, all for sale and all ideal for Christmas gifts.
NEW Class Acts Sun 15–Thu 19 Dec. Range of art produced by senior pupils from Secondary Schools in East Dunbartonshire. NEW Connected Parts Sat 11 Jan– Thu 20 Mar. Drawings and paintings made as part of a residency at the gallery, using the building itself as a subject. NEW Glasgow Group Annual Exhibition Sat 11 Jan. An exhibition of painting, photography, ceramics and prints by one of the country’s longest established arts co-operatives.
■ MACKINTOSH MUSEUM The Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, 353 4500. Mon–Sat 11am–5pm; Sun 11am–4pm. Gallery closed Tue 24 Dec–Thu 2 Jan. NEW Interwoven Connections: The Stoddard Templeton Design Studio and Design Library, 1843–2005 Until Sat 11 Jan. An overview of the design work of the Stoddard Templeton carpet companies, which supplied carpets to Glasgow Cathedral, the White House and the RMS Titanic, using archive material to give an insight into the design process. ■ MARY MARY Suite 2/1, 6 Dixon Street, 226 2257. Tue–Sat noon–6pm. Gallery closed Sat 21 Dec–Mon 6 Jan.
LAST CHANCE Barbara Kasten Until Sat 18 Jan. Barbara Kasten constructs spectral assemblages out of mirrors, perspex panes, planes of colour and other elements and photographs them with a dislocated perspective. ■ THE MODERN INSTITUTE @ AIRD’S LANE 3–5 Aird’s Lane, 248 3711. Thu–Sat noon–5pm. Gallery closed Sat 21 Dec– Sun 5 Jan. Martino Gamper: Mi casa, su casa Until Sat 25 Jan. Work by London- based Italian designer best known for his 100 Chairs in 100 Days project.
■ THE MODERN INSTITUTE 14–20 Osborne Street, 248 3711. Mon– Fri 10am–6pm; Sat noon–5pm. LAST CHANCE Chris Johanson: Considering Until Fri 20 Dec. Colourful works from LA-based artist.
■ PATRICIA FLEMING PROJECTS Studio 225, South Block, 60/64 Osborne Street, 07968 066708. Tue–Sat 10am–2pm. LAST CHANCE Jacqueline Donachie Until Sat 21 Dec. Drawings on paper and prints as well as a sculpture by the Glasgow-based environmental artist.
■ RGI KELLY GALLERY 118 Douglas Street, 248 6386. Mon–Sat 10am–5pm. LAST CHANCE RGI Winter Exhibition Until Sat 21 Dec. Small postcard-sized works and framed works by RGI members. ■ ROGER BILLCLIFFE GALLERY 134 Blythswood Street, 332 4027. Mon– Fri 9.30am–5.30pm; Sat 10am–4pm. LAST CHANCE Peter Graham: Seeing Red Until Tue 24 Dec. Works by the Glasgow-born painter. LAST CHANCE Winter Design Collection Until Tue 24 Dec. Contemporary jewellery, silverware and sculptural objects by over 60 designers, exclusively available in the gallery.
■ SCOTLANDART.COM 193 Bath Street, 221 4502. Tue–Fri 10.30am–5.30pm; Sat 11am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Gallery closed Wed 25 & Thu 26 Dec and Wed 1 & Thu 2 Jan; open Tue 24 Dec 10.30am–4.30pm. Christmas Exhibition Until Sun 29 Dec. Painting and sculpture from gallery artists. ■ SMITHY GALLERY 74 Glasgow Road, Blanefield, 01360 770551. Tue–Sat 11am–5pm; Sun 1–5pm. LAST CHANCE Alasdair Gray, Joyce Gunn Cairns, Steven Camley Until Sun 22 Dec. Works by three very different Scottish artists. NEW The Affordable Art Show Sun 19 Jan–Sun 23 Feb. Work by gallery artists, all on sale for £500 or less.
■ ST MUNGO MUSEUM OF RELIGIOUS LIFE AND ART 2 Castle Street, 276 1625. Tue–Thu & Sat 10am–5pm; Fri & Sun 11am–5pm. Gallery closed Wed 25 & Thu 26 Dec and Wed 1 & Thu 2 Jan; open Tue 31 Dec 10am–12.30pm. LAST CHANCE Peter Howson: Crucifixion 2010 Until Tue 31 Dec. Peter Howson’s monumental picture of the crucified Jesus is on display at St Mungo Museum throughout the year.
■ STREET LEVEL PHOTOWORKS Trongate 103, 552 2151. Tue–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Gallery closed Mon 22 Dec–Thu 2 Jan.
✽Jill Todd Photographic Award ●●●●● Until Sun 2 Feb. Showcase of finalists in the inaugural competition to find Scotland’s best student and graduate photographers.