DCA Thomson at the DCA in 2017; below (l-r): the Cooper Gallery; V&A Dundee
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part of Dundee’s art infrastructure, hosting top UK names (last year, a major show by Turner prizewinner Mark Wallinger) and international talents (this summer’s show is the i rst major UK exhibition by LA-based artist and photographer Eve Fowler) alongside emerging artists getting their i rst big exhibition.
DCA is a good place to start for any visiting art lover. The city’s manageable scale means that, from there, visitors will be within walking distance not only of the V&A, but of long-established artist-run gallery Generator, DJCAD’s Cooper Gallery, and the city’s traditional art gallery, the McManus, which itself underwent a major refurbishment, reopening in 2010.
Cooper Gallery, though modest in size, has long punched above its weight curatorially. Artists working with the gallery recently include Bruce McLean and Ross Sinclair, while Turner-nominated Paul Noble will show there in September; that’s followed in the autumn by the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, featuring Anne Bean and Richard Wilson. Sophia Hao, the Cooper’s director and curator, is the driving force behind Current, an ambitious three-phase programme to showcase Scottish contemporary art in China. Hao is coni dent that the spotlight falling on the V&A will be good for all of Dundee’s art projects. ‘It is a real game-changer, bringing more opportunity and
more attention. If we plan well and play it well, it’s a great opportunity for the visual arts.’
Meanwhile,
in Kengo Kuma’s iconic waterfront building, nearing completion at a cost of £80 million, the V&A team is keen to emphasise the museum’s local roots. A key element will be permanent Scottish design galleries, celebrating everything from heavy engineering to comic books, with gems such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s ‘Oak Room’ displayed in public for the i rst time in 50 years. ‘You can’t beam this into a city and expect it to work; it has to grow organically,’ says Tara Wainwright, V&A marketing and audience manager. ‘It needs to be a conversation with the city, not something that’s done to them. Luckily, this project is being supported by everybody, the citizens of Dundee and the creative community.’ Wainwright believes that Dundee is getting ready for the new type of high-end cultural visitor that the V&A will attract. ‘We’re working closely with partners to create Dundee as a destination which will appeal to these visitors. The museum is really going to put Dundee on the map, but it’s not just V&A Dundee, it’s a whole range of other attractions. There are so many entrepreneurs in the city. There’s an artisan brewery, a gin distillery, cafés serving great vegan food, i nalists on MasterChef opening amazing restaurants with great design. Everyone is thinking far outside the box.’
1 Apr–31 May 2018 THE LIST 109