ART
PREVIEWS
BEN ROBINSON, DEATH PAINTS RED DAUBINGS
UNTITLED (ELBA BLACK,GREY, GREEN), 2012
SCOTT MYLES DCA, 7 APR – 10 JUN
It seems only right that artist Scott Myles’ first major solo show in the UK would take place at Dundee Contemporary Arts. A Dundonian himself, Myles graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design some 15 years ago. Now represented by The Modern Institute in Glasgow, Myles has recently been making great big document folders that look like Claes Oldenburg decided to satirise the Stasi’s inclination to file surveillance intelligence. Amusingly sinister, the larger than life stationery forces us to consider our own dimensions and in turn our depressing finitude. Alongside the outsized office paraphernalia, Myles will show Analysis (Mirror) – a new sculpture made up of two upturned bus shelters, one on top of the other, covered in graffiti and vandalism. It will function as a kind of indoor pavilion, reflecting the surrounding gallery and exhibition visitors on its
damaged surface. Referencing his years as a Dundonian youth, going around the city on his skateboard, Myles will create a new sculpture that references the urban environment and the derelict space once used by the young Myles as an unofficial skate park, that came to be redeveloped into DCA. Displaced Façade (for DCA) will be three brick wall segments that look like a complete, unbroken wall from a particular angle, giving the impression of an illusory wholeness – perhaps a subtle critique of Dundee’s gentrification in the 90s when Myles was a youth and DCA was first conceived. Also an interesting printmaker, Myles will exhibit a new series of prints called STABILA (Black and Blue). The work reproduces evidence from a court case where a STABILA branded spirit-level was used as a weapon. Normally utilised as a tool for achieving balance, Myles explores how this very balance can quite easily tip into chaos. [Andrew Cattanach] WWW.DCA.ORG.UK
THE SHAPE GENERATOR PROJECTS, UNTIL 15 APR
You’re in safe hands with Generator Projects. The gallery’s inclusive ethos is so anti-scenester it deserves a medal. And it’s no coincidence that this haven of the weird and wonderful would have its home in sunny Dundee – the Scottish seat of everything creepy and abject. Generator’s current exhibition The Shape brings together artists Lachlann Rattray, Darren Banks and Ben Robinson to reflect on chance and determinism in European horror cinema, presenting new multimedia installations. Going by Robinson’s predilection for all things dark and sinister, and Rattray’s twisted comic book-surrealism, the show is a dead-cert freak fest. Rattray makes unsettling pictures that incorporate elements of popular culture. In the past, he has
depicted Homer Simpson melting and Bugs Bunny vomiting a rainbow. Amusingly, he often collages the faces of cats over the faces of actual people to surprisingly unsettling effect. Ben Robinson – Skinny writer and Yuck ‘n Yum editor – unveils his new film Death Paints Red Daubings, which draws inspiration from the Italian genre of cinema called Giallo that marries aspects of thriller with the modern slasher horror. Darren Banks makes sculptures built from old furniture and monitors showing found footage, as though a mad man with an obsession for scary movies has barricaded himself in a bed-sit. For The Shape, Banks exhibits Bloody Dreams, Visions and Tourism, exploring recurring horror motifs by isolating and looping horror movie tropes. [Andrew Cattanach] WWW.GENERATORPROJECTS.CO.UK
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GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF VISUAL ART The mammoth festival of visual art is upon us, offering audiences the chance to immerse themselves in the party spirit of the Glasgow art scene
GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL Festival of Visual Art kicks off this month, and it’s safe to say nothing else in Scotland quite has its breadth and diversity. The two-week art extravaganza showcases some of the finest contemporary artists working in Europe and abroad, including Jeremy Deller, Wolfgang Tillmans and Flokert de Jong. As well as attracting big-name artists to our northern climes, Glasgow International supports lots of home-grown talent, with excellent exhibitions by Glasgow-based artists to be shown at some of Glasgow’s new and established artist-run spaces, including The Mutual, Transmission, David Dale Gallery, The Duchy and the Glue Factory. In their main space on Duke St, The Duchy will exhibit Pio Abad’s solo show, Dazzler. Soon to graduate from the MFA programme at The Royal Academy in London, Abad is interested in the relationship between Disco and militarism, decorating the gallery with a particularly jazzy camouflage wallpaper lent dark undertones. The Duchy will also host a large-scale off-site exhibition at the Lighthouse, showing new work by Rachel Adams, Nicolas Party, Amelia Bywater and Alan Stanners. The exhibition encourages artists to show ambitious work and will be the first of a yearly event, showcasing emerging artists. David Dale Gallery and Studios will be exhibiting new work by Kilian Rüethemann and Kate V Robertson. Both artists will be responding directly to the gallery’s brand new spaces after a recent move to a new venue. Robertson will be exploring the futility inherent in making and showing work
in an art environment that seems already to have exhausted every possibility, while Rüethemann will likely be altering the very fabric of the space. Transmission will be showing six works of art by different artists, encouraging viewers to interpret the pieces for themselves. The show, according to the gallery’s description, ‘establishes a scenario where the provenance of an artwork is demoted to make space for more irreverent interpretations.’ Which, in translation, encourages us viewers to stop listening to galleries’ convoluted descriptions and start understanding the works for ourselves. The Mutual, perhaps one of the few Glasgow art organisations with no permanent residence, will introduce the third installment of their WIKI exhibition. The pop-up exhibition will include work by artists Carla Easton, Marlena Morris and Shelton Walker. The Glue Factory will, as ever, host a show exhibiting pretty much everyone in the world, including Cara Tolmie, Nicolas Party, Conal McStravick, Aileen Campbell and Rory Middleton. A fantastic big space, we anticipate the opening night will be as raucous as ever, and the show as chaotic as we’ve come to expect. Glasgow International is the most exciting art event on the Scottish calendar and is not to be missed. Make sure you get yourself along to as many of the openings as possible, getting a real sense of the party atmosphere. We all know that artists know how to have a good time (and it’s certainly not all about stroking your chin), so get in amongst it, and make the most of this special occasion.
PIO ABAD O LION! O BUTCHER! O PIT DWELLER!, 2011, DIGITAL PRINT ON SILK TWILL
Galleries across Scotland are members of the Own Art scheme. By offering interestfree loans of £100-£2,000 through Own Art, buying an original piece of quality contemporary art or craft couldn’t be easier. For more information about Own Art and a list of participating galleries see the Own Art website: www.ownart.org.uk Look for the pink logo. (representative 0% APR)
58 THE SKINNY APRIL 2012
Offer subject to age and status. Terms and conditions apply. You will need a UK bank account that can handle direct debits, proof of identity and address, and you will also need to be over 18. Own Art is operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council. Registered address: Arts Council England, North East, Central Square, Forth Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3PJ
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