Contemporary Curating

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Presenting an exhibition of which I was one of the curators working with the fantastic artist MJ Colegate. See the press release below:

Comma Collective presents the work of London based Artist Michael J Colegate in ‘Repeat After Me’. Born in Saudi Arabia, Colegate moved to London, England at a young age and takes influence from his mixed heritage. His practise revolves around the ideologies of a global community, commenting on the ideals of ‘celebrity’ and ‘beauty’, he is best known for his installation and interactive works. Using visual repetition alongside bold compositions Colegate’s work reflects that of his rich cultural background.

With ‘Repeat After Me’ Colegate has taken the opportunity to branch out into the physical realm for his latest installation. Exploring this unusual exhibition space with the passive, unattainable quality of a shop window, his work engages directly with the audience utilising the striking language of the digital presented in a physical form. The ten-meter window space is plastered with the hand printed mantra, ‘I AM WELL, I AM HAPPY’ layered over distorted images of a 3D scan taken of the Artist’s face. The bold colour scheme and repetitive nature of the pattern reduces the structure of the space, symbolic of a backlit computer monitor, vast but contained with a lack of dimensionality. The repeated imagery combined with the repeated, augmented text is a comment on the ideologies of propaganda and power with a positive message juxtaposing the aesthetic. Aware of the rich, creative history within the area, posters with the same design have emerged throughout Whitechapel, adding an element to the artwork that is in-keeping with the visual language of the locality. Present for an audience travelling to work, tourists visiting from further afield and of course the diverse community of east London, the repeated words ‘I AM WELL, I AM HAPPY’ can be adopted by each individual as an affirming mantra of reassurance. Sitting in parallel with the window text acknowledging the presence of the individual in a vast and busy city, the work is a positive and optimistic break in the everyday.

www.commacollective.wordpress.

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Julia Phillips at Campoli Presti

‘Impenetrable Entry’ is the first solo exhibition of the German-American artist Julia Phillips at Campoli Presti Gallery in Bethnal Green. The immaculately white room in the repurposed gallery building takes a minute to adjust to, but once acclimatised the objects within the space invite closer inspection. These ceramic sculptures communicate touch and the human presence, particularly when the presence is demonstrated by footprints documented in liquid on tile. In a separate room within the space a projector plays a silent film with a subtitled narrative explaining the work in a poetic and creative way. Dance and clay combine to illustrate the human aspect of the work and to examine the feminine role. Alongside this film is positioned what I would call an apparatus in which I try to locate my own forms. The joy of these works is that they invite to body to engage with them, they are built around the human form and when the body encounters them, this is understood. This urge to interact with the work is further enhanced by the impermanent way they are hung in the space, they could be lifted/activated/operated so easily and it is the fragility of the ceramics of which they are made that prevents this. Overshadowed in the space are relief ink prints, these are background to the intricate and perfectly polished objects that steal the eye. The combination of ceramic, metal and tile speaks of the clinical and almost medical, particularly when combined with the sterile white of the modern gallery. A beautiful body of work that is ambiguous and alluring while comfortably human. 

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Yuri Pattinson at the Chisenhale

Spending time at London's silicone roundabout, the focal point for tech development in east London, Pattison has utilised his artists residency to explore the relationship between work and leisure. In his large exhibition ‘User, Space’ at the Chisenhale Gallery, he has pulled much of his experience over the past year into an immersive experience for the viewer. In this space technology dominates, influencing the entire room, particularly with the robotic addition and subtraction of natural light, the outside world. Although the tech is alienating and somewhat subtracted from the everyday, it's setting is recognisable with the addition of work environment design that is becoming commonplace. Office plants, relaxation space, floating barriers and a single lengthy table at which to potentially work with others are all the modern office standards. Work that operates behind the scenes of this polished world of technology is also addressed with wires and metal racking that exist with and because of a human presence. He is interested in the unspoken people in the automated, interface driven world and the exploration of the spaces in which this work takes place. A staple of the Chisenhale at the moment appears to be art that reaches out to influence the staff. The previous exhibition examined the working relationship in the modern day as Maria Eichhorn shut the gallery for 5weeks. Now Pattison has pulled the front of house into the gallery with an intrusive transformation of this working environment into the same aesthetic of the exhibition and ultimately employing a transparency to the workings of the gallery by making the day to day work a prop in his practice. The entirety of the space is also littered with screens and webcams that resonate the idea of documenting and sharing simultaneously. On the multiple screens are further rendered office spaces that enforce communal activity while others illustrate the idea of time. Time in relation to work and play is an interesting and prevalent concept alone but combined with the introduction of technology, labour and community, the active space initiates an interesting conversation. This work is a look into our time, where the future is now. 

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Jennifer Rubell Not Alone Stephen Friedman Gallery

One of the best bodies of work and exhibitions I’ve seen in a while. The work was created in the three years following the birth of the artist's second child and this has influenced much that is on show. A subject that could be potentially be introspective and alienating towards the viewer is made accessible through the demands it makes and interaction it offers the visitor. There is a vulnerability engaged by the artist that is translated to the viewer. 

In the first space a truly emotional experience is initiated as the gallery assistant offers a glass baby to be held. The still, solid, fragile object is the weight of a baby and holds the warmth of the body as it is being passed from one person to another. I find myself rocking gently as I hold this “object” I smile as I look down at its empty hollow face. This experience is warm both physically and emotionally as the object takes the head of the body holding it and retains it between passes as well as evoking affection towards something so fragile and vulnerable that in that moment is your responsibility. The face of a child being a part of the work is integral as it illustrates the vulnerability of the piece to a greater extent than if it were simply a form to be held. Moving from this space the artist shares sustenance with the visitor in the form of hard boiled eggs that can be seasoned with salt and pepper from unusual, quaint and very domestic containers presented on a shelf parallel to the eggs. This room also holds a space with a white bed across the threshold and a bronze crib out of reach, protected in the corner. Across the road in the second Gallery Large, near life sized paintings of the artist nude on a horse can be seen from the street. The works hold references of historic artworks depicting a powerful man atop his noble steed, yet these images are not perfectly completed but have the subjects head out of shot so the focus is the torso and the horse. The bare breasts emphasise the femininity and the artists flesh connecting directly with that of the animal creates an intimacy. This intimacy is reliability and trust as the artist is held by the animal willingly. Painted by the fictional “Brad Jones” (really Brandi Twilley), this twist questions authorship, gender and the influence this has on a final work. These images were painted from life as is demonstrated in a film presented in a room beside the space. This room permits one visitor at a time and asks those entering to disrobe before viewing the film. The room is dark and dimly lit so the process of undressing is less intimidating than in a shop changing room. The artist on the horse is looking directly at the viewer from the large and imposing screen as the camera positions them behind the painter and her easel as she works. Being naked in a gallery space is surreal is the sounds from outside the space are unnerving in this vulnerable state. I don’t remember much of the film being distracted by my own nudity in this strange place. 

The exhibition takes the everyday of holding, eating, being nude and abstracts them by placing them in a gallery space. Any norm is no longer normal in the white cube and interaction to this degree plays with the visitor as a part of the work and relies upon them for completion. The main points of interaction that ask the most of those viewing the work act as bookends to the exhibition, testing limits and setting the tone relating to the artists theme. The whole experience was engaging and drew me into the artist's position as I was used as a component in her practice and from this, could ultimately make the work my own. 

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A few days with Weiwei

A visit to London by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has caused a lot of fuss. It is not just the epic exhibition that is currently on at the RA but his public presence and addressing of world issues that has got the capital (and the country) talking.  I spent two days with Weiwei this week. The first was walking with him and fellow artist Anish Kapoor through London as a peaceful and empathetic protest about the treatment of refugees by the UK government. The second was with his work at the much-anticipated RA exhibition that brought him to London.

The first experience where I actually met Weiwei was quite surreal. I joined the walk as it left central London as to avoid all the craziness at the start. Armed with my blanket as requested I walked at the demanding pace with Weiwei and Kapoor mere strides from me. Both artists happily interacted with the people out to support them and to some extent with the press who they liked to stay on topic and were necessary to share their desired message. A brief chat and handshake with each was enough as the mood of the walk was solemn and contemplative with a few too many selfies for my liking but Kapoor reassured that social media is good and necessary to share a message and the selfie is a tool for that. Reaching Stratford there were some informal words and the blankets were piled to be donated. That was the end of my first day with Weiwei

The second day was a busy Saturday in central London where I was greeted with large constructed tree sculptures sitting in the square outside the RA. These were a nice introduction to Weiwei’s practice as he works through processes with materials, which have a history, all with underlying politics that he shares through his art. The overall exhibition was stunning, huge historic works made from ancient furniture. A whole room dedicated to his investigation into the death of Chinese students a result of an earthquake and low-grade school buildings. Multiple rooms looking at the value and connotations of materials, art and history that included his pot series and the everyday being made out of the valuable (jade butt plugs and handcuffs). One of the most personal rooms was dedicated to his time being detained but not charged by the Chinese government. This room held identical cuboid structures in which were recreations of his time in prison with Weiwei and Chinese guards being present. The visitor walked around the space surrounded by the twitter/handcuff/camera gold wallpaper and looked into the scenes through small windows and vantage points in the roof’. These communicated the claustrophobic isolation Weiwei experienced as we witness him in his immobile state being observed doing the everyday without freedom. Twitter being present in this room but separate from the artist is apt as Weiwei later spoke of his lack of communication while being imprisoned; “No internet, no Ai Weiwei. Art is about a message and artists have to admit that twitter has many of the same functions as art… In prison, I missed the pulse of twitter. It was terrible to be separated from that. I think twitter is close to being a human right. Your pain and joy are shared.” (Lewis L/Weiwei A, 2013, Free Radical, The Sunday Times; Culture) The detainment took away his voice. This voice is well and truly back in this exhibition which is not angry but aware, it does not ask you to follow his lead but in a way explains him as an artist and justifies all that he does(although it doesn’t necessarily need to). The exhibition is bold and loud with large works that abstract and emphasise the message, issues and ideas Weiwei is working with. This is the story of an artist whose both struggles and successes are often caused by his hazardous relationship with his government that he documents so vividly. His work is fueled and hindered by being Ai Weiwei, an activist artist with an awareness and a powerful voice being heard.

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A quick text about Heather Phillipson, ‘the nylon tricot hi-cut one-piece’at the Whitechapel Gallery

With a last minute invite I attended a performance event titled; ‘the nylon tricot hi-cut one-piece’ at the Whitechapel Gallery with Heather Phillipson. Knowing some of Phillipson’s work but having never attended one of her performances before I had some expectations before I entered the room but was waiting to see what the award-winning poet had in store for us. The room was bathed in red from an upside down heart shaped lamp in the corner (the ones you get in Ikea) and I took my seat in the auditorium at the back of the gallery. On the stage stood a microphone stand, a DIY large heart, a basketball net and a monitor covered with fabric on which was written ‘true to size’. RndB music about ‘love’ played before Phillipson entered with the hood of her red hoody up and a love heart attached to the back.  The craft heart was stuffed into the net before Phillipson sat on stage with her back to the audience. Over pop love songs the poetry flowed with Phillipson turning the light on her back on and off in sync.The performance halted as the screen was revealed with a projection overlapping showing a happy otter turning in circles that was then mimicked by the artist. The performance continued with Phillipson sitting on the ground. Recorded with live overlapping the audio was intense as the room returned to its red hue. The light stopped and the hoody was switched for another and an exercise bike was clumsily carried on stage. The hood down the back read ‘fit 4 feeling’ then the hood went up to reveal ‘un- fit 4 feeling’ and the cycling began. The rhythm of the cycling was synchronised with the matching projection and monitor and more love songs were sliced and overlapped with lyrics and animation on show. The heart was manipulated into the anatomic rendering, an explosion, garbage bags, fish, balls, to name a few. The cycling fell into the background of the continuous and vibrantly red visuals yet it continued. The performance was completed with a breathless and seemingly pained Phillipson singing ‘Why does my heart go in beating’ leaving and the room that returned to a silenced red. An intense, humorous and emotive examination of the heart and its uses in todays society in an exhaustive and poetic way. 

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A second visit to the London Open

Today I visited the Whitechapel gallery to take a proper look at the art selected for the London open Exhibition. The 48 exhibiting artists are presented across the two floors of the gallery. 

Entering on the ground floor two juxtaposing installations greet the visitors, the grounded wall ‘All in a day, Brian’ by Demelza Watts that explores labour and the labour of the artist and the precarious hanging glass ‘It’s all good fun’ by Ben Woodeson that transforms and questions the everyday in its display. In this space there are two complimentarily discomforting films that evoke tension and unease through the use of the human body and risk of harm. Nelmarie Du Preez’s ’Loops of Relation-to stab’, ‘Loops of Relation-to hit’ and ‘Loops of Relation-to rely’ in which the artist has documented herself interacting with technology with the potential to inflict pain and Mitra Saboury’s ‘Pothole’ and ‘Hardscape’ sees long nails scratching grouting and barefeet walking on uneven grounding. Another film work on the ground floor projected onto a small piece of perspex is ‘Gold House’ by Lucy Joyce and shows metallic gold material being blown onto a house and ultimately transforming it with a mix of organic movement and the manmade. Jane Bustin’s ‘Tabitha’s cape’, Nijinksy’s Window’ and ‘Nijinksy 1′ explores texture and colour in her simplified wall works and Jodie Carey’s ‘untitled (pot)’ explores the material qualities of her medium that is plaster in the form of a vase, wall hanging and floor covering. The first work the visitor meets on the second floor is Sarah Roberts’ installation ‘AMBERSANDS [Fairbourne a& Margate a&)’ that explores manmade materials using a designed display of plastics lights and fans that transform the space. Through to the larger room on the upper floor the visitor is greeted with what appears to be a pile of stones spreading across the floor titled ‘Cove’ by Alexander Duncan but this is an illusion as the shapes are discarded man made materials. An artist looking at traditional techniques and simplified forms is Gaia Fugazza in the works ‘Woman eating contraceptive pill. Moons’, Virginity is not a contraceptive. Shooting star in Pisces’ and ‘Woman cleaning. Coil and breast implants’ with references the modern world in the subjects of the work that has the aesthetic of cave-like art in form and medium. Orgainc and sculptural forms are depicted in the paintings ‘Untitled’, ‘Structire I’ and ‘Janus’ by Damien Meade that sit in opposition to the architectural and cubic plinthed sculptures of Heather Power titled ‘Channel’, ‘Alleyway’ and ‘Abridged’. A further reference to architecture is found in the work of Marco Godoy as he explores his personal family history in ‘What we still have to talk about’ with a cast of a war-damaged building that is supported by political/personal text and family photographs. A work that alludes to the personal while being distant are the transformed postcards of Roy Voss who presents the personalised yet generic objects with a single word cut from the back and turned to face the front and ultimately create the titles of ‘Fall(iv)’, ‘Down(iv)’, ‘Spent’, ‘Look(i)’ and ‘Look(ii)’. An artist that investigates process is Laura Santamaria whose work ‘Hypnero(Erotic Dream*)’ is made up of organic marks on the wall using smoke which is simple yet effective. Contrasting this is are works by Dominic Hawgood that present the body in a modern way in ‘Rise up you are free’ with led illumination and the vinyl created ‘This is where the darkness lies’. Madalina Zaharia looks at language and aesthetic in her work ‘Cheeky. Cheek E’ that is also simple while it plays with language and form in a reduced and modern way. The final work in the space that acts as a soundtrack to this entire room in the exhibition is the ‘Studio based Practice’ projected work by Dominic Watson that sees him dancing to pop music in a playful and performative way.

The variety of works is exciting and the curation of the space allows for comparisons that don’t confuse but compliment the majority of the work. Many names to watch in a full exhibition of London-based international artists. 

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Another packed private view Last week I headed west to visit the Showroom, attend the private view at the Lisson gallery and the opening at White Cube.

The day began at the showroom with the exhibition ‘How we behave’ by Grant Watson. This is part of an on-going project that takes inspiration from an interview with Michel Foucault in which he questions “why can’t life be the work of art”. This inspiration has lead to multiple interviews in locations all around the world. Ten of over 50 interviews are presented at the showroom, in the form of both transcripts and filmed realizations that line the walls of the space on hefty equipment atop plinths. The films present the interview spoken by the subject sitting in front of a blue screen. This uniformity of the blue eliminates place and time that highlights the diversity of the people while removing context beyond the existence as art. The confined nature of the art being on screens with two sets of headphones is contradicted and counteracted by the space as the large garage-style doors are open that as a result invites the street and 'life’ into the space for art. This is the biggest success of the work, the curatorial decision to present the art as part of the everyday. This presentation also makes a somewhat inward looking work approachable.

Later in the day the lisson gallery opened the show ‘The boys the girls and the political’ this title was somewhat misleading and confusing as a strong political voice was certainly absent. Lacking in politics the work did explore the creative process and cleverly displayed the ten exhibiting artists. There were some noteworthy artists and impressive work in the two spaces the gallery inhabits. Am Nuden Da fantastically ties the separate spaces together with the work ’Facebook blue filler’ that is an on-going installation that uses blue coloured wall filler to mark the walls of the gallery. Another installation that is this time confined to a single room has been created by Beatriz Olbarrieta whose untitled work utilises projection and geometric shapes to create balance that blends the space and the work into a single entity. A projected work found in the lower space of the gallery is Edward Thomasson & Lucy Beechs '7 year itch’ . This film has a sense of humour as it presents couples on exercise mats performing choreographed sounds and movements that create a crescendo soundscape of a sex scene. The imposing scale of the projection has the participants life-sized in the space which makes the bizarre movements and sounds amplified as the viewers standing in the space mirror the art on display.

White Cube Mason’s Yard was my last stop to see the exhibition ‘2D-3D: Glass & Vapor’ by Larry Bell. I had mixed feelings about the exhibition as I found the framed mixed media works dull especially when sitting next to the 3d glass and plastic forms. These forms transform the space with light, reflections and ultimately engulf and distort the entire exhibition. The lower gallery was sparse but filled with the presence of the transformative and beautiful work. The fragility of the materials is contradicted by the boldness of their form and the scale of the structures, particularly the maze-like reflective glass in the centre of the room. The work is both complex and simple as it transforms with each step through the space and encouraging movement from the viewer.

Full day of interesting art presented by a range of varied institutions.

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The London Open and James Richards selects from the V-A-C collection 

Whitechapel Gallery

This evening I attended the opening of the London Open at the Whitechapel Gallery. I could see very little due to the crowds making their way through the multiple rooms but from the glimpses I got I am excited by the work on show. The gallery was hectic and hot, so rather and fight the crowds I sought solace in the quieter room hosting Francis Bacon’s ‘Study for a Portrait’ (1953) selected by James Richards from the V-A-C collection, Moscow. Dublin born Richards has presented the typically dark and haunting painting by Bacon in a suitably somber setting with fabric covered walls, seats positioned for reflection and speakers filling the space with sound. The sound is of singers and church bells that at some points distorts and other points absent, creating suspense. The installation is immersive and theatrical, changing the mood of the viewer while not becoming a gimmick. This space juxtaposed the art filled rooms and mass of bodies occupying the rest of the gallery. I am looking forward to actually seeing the work at the London Open later this week but my experience of tonight was made through the opposition of the hectic and the calm present in the gallery. 

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Flemig Collection

New Scottish Artists

Yesterday I visited the Fleming Collections selection of  Scottish talent chosen from this years RSA New Contemporaries exhibition in Edinburgh. I approach this exhibition biased as I graduated with two exhibiting artists Ben Martin and Caitlyn Haynes. Martins’ work is visible as soon as you walk into the gallery, drawing you down into the basement. Having been drawn into the web and upon closer examination, his work holds an element of risk and impermanence in its strong structure and exploration of weight and balance. The use of weight and rope create volume and an immersive space through its geometric aesthetic. The monochrome of black rope against the white gallery walls is bold and juxtaposed by the raw aesthetic of the found weights that are integral in the creation of the work. The stillness of the potentially kinetic work allows for contemplation of how it alters its surroundings and the new use of the industrial materials that have existences beyond this work. Caitlyn Hynes is found upstairs in the second gallery; her work again greets you as you enter this space as it stretches across the entire expanse of the opposite wall. Hynes is the polar opposite of Martin as her work is complex and detailed while exploiting the artists touch. Her art plays on the handmade as you can see her marks used in the creation of the colorful and darkly humorous hangings and sculptures. She creates faces and images that appear like religious icons and can be read into beyond their busy but relatively simple aesthetic. Her palette is colorful and materials at some points quite kitsch, which makes the work seem cheerful but this appears to be a mask shielding the emotion present underneath. There is a link between the haunting characters she creates and the work of Grayson perry, the artist of our time that also reaches to her fabric backed works being hung in a somewhat religious manner on the wall. Perry appears again in a film work in which an extract from his broadcasted rieth lectures is played alongside many other appropriated audio extracts as a soundtrack to two screen projections. These projections presented at right angles to each other and relate to the audio separately then finally together. This work by Edward Humphrey is exploring the connection between spoken word and the visuals we create as well as investigating a relationship between the two separate visuals being seen as one and being connected trough the mutual audio. It is a clever exploration of the way we absorb the world around us, our beliefs and the way we gather information through storytelling. The director and cinematography duo of Alan Mcilrath and Jeppe Nielsen produced another film work shown in the exhibition. This work was entirely compelling as Mcilrath and Nielsen create suspense with an artfully shot story of loss and mystery. Each frame on the small monitor was striking with considered lighting bringing the most inanimate of subject matter to life and building the tension for the viewer. The only thing I feel would have enhanced the work would have been a seat as it is a piece you simply cannot and would not want to walk away from. I was fixated and engrossed as I stood in front of the screen, disbelieving that this was the work of graduate students as the story unfolded, passed through time and flowed seamlessly with dark, emotive undertones. A work that straddled the boundaries between film and art, and was successfully, each and both. There were many more noteworthy works in the exhibition sitting in this multi level central London Gallery. The challenge while curating a show of this manner is the complete disassociation each individual practice has with the next and the connections and connotations created when placing them in a space together. I feel a successful and unlikely pairing was found in the second room where Hynes became a backdrop and contrast to the geometric work of Tim Dalzell. The emotive and expressive wall hangings and sculpture completely juxtapose the clean and simplified elements present in the artificial landscape created by Dalzell. This work stood out in the exhibition, not only for its ambition and presence but its refined aesthetic. This simplified and almost purist approach to represent “nature” is inspired by the graphics of old video games. The 3d work brings the flat world of pixels to life with angled surfaces and crude neon plants all manmade with shiny plastic. The work is bold and doesn’t attempt to hide anything from the viewer but is transparent in its simplicity and honest to the subject. This is just a slice of the exhibition, that is a refreshing and exciting glimpse into the artists being produced by Scottish art schools and the future of art in and coming from Scotland.

Exhibition is closing on the 24th

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A comparison of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and WIELS

Abstract The entirety of an art institution is comprised of many elements. When united, these elements contribute to the creation of ‘a sense of a place’ and ‘the making of an impression’. The impression is somewhat a shallow reading of galleries elements; it can be instantaneous and intuitive. My writing has developed upon the impression made by BALTIC and WIELS into a further examination of each respective institution. I have considered the visual identity, physical spaces, exhibition spaces, expressed intentions and artist selections for each institution. I also investigated their project spaces, audience engagement and touched upon funding structures of both BALTIC and WIELS as a method for comparison. A recent visit to WIELS and talk with the Director Dirk Snauwaert and Senior Curator Zoë Gray provided insight into the organisation and instigated my investigation. While a longstanding knowledge of and regular visits to BALTIC was the foundation of this study. Further research conducted looked at the website of each institution, as this is the face they present to the public and contains reliable information provided directly by the organisations. Published and currently relevant literature about each space was limited so literary research focused predominantly on the history and function of institutions, exhibition spaces, audience relations and exhibiting art. Additional online research investigated further concerns of each institution that included the local area. This thesis is an overview of each institution in relation to the other with the final, unanticipated realization that the many similarities demonstrate a period for European art and institutional trends of the time.

The BALTIC opened to the public as an art space on 13 July 2002 and WIELS opened five years later, in May 2007. The choice to compare these two institutions was instinctive. On a recent course trip to Brussels, in the mornings prior to gallery visits, we engaged in conversations creating comparisons between what we were going to see that day and what we knew from home. These conversations provided a context in which to approach these new spaces and were also a means of mental preparation. The day we were visiting WIELS while discussing and briefly researching the space, I immediately compared it to BALTIC in Gateshead. I am going to use this thesis to explore why I came to this conclusion and to what extent; if at all, this comparison is merited. Investigating the many factions that shape each institution I am going to break down and compare the two spaces looking for differences and similarities that can be identified and expanded upon.  

An immediate comparison can be made on the surface, as both institutions visual identity share a similar aesthetic and therefore reflect a similar image presented to the public. The clean and modern presentation communicates the contemporary image that echoes the art presented by each institution.  The modern, minimalist and simple font is bold and commanding without unnecessary decoration. WIELS boasts an extra design element over BALTIC as the E is mirrored, creating an illusion at a glance. This is a minor difference as both institutions present a visual identity of capitalized names in a single colour. The designs are recognisable, bold and evidently a suitable standard for contemporary art as this format is also present in many other institutions of this kind.

(WEILS Facebook, 2015)

(BALTIC Facebook 2015)

These strong identities are constant across many aspects of each institution. The names appear on merchandise, publications, promotional material, respective websites and social media accounts. The colour sometimes changes but the branding maintains its recognisable characteristics. The social media platforms I mentioned are present for each gallery as widgets (linking icons) on their website that include Twitter, Facebook and for BALTIC, YouTube. The accounts for each institution is active with promoting posts, relevant shares and re-tweets that would be interesting for the contemporary art audience. The websites for each space have a similar, minimal aesthetics and accessible information presented in a simple and concise way. A significant difference between the two websites is the language availability; WIELS reflects the bi-lingual city in which it resides with French, English and Dutch being available while BALTIC only presents its native English. They both also offer subscription to newsletters, which is industry standard, and a successful way to maintain contact with an interested audience. These methods of promotion are key to attracting new visitors and maintaining a dialogue with those already acquainted with the spaces. The branded image of the institution is shared in a more informal manner through social media channels, with a potentially younger audience looking to engage with contemporary art.

This contemporary image is maintained in the physical spaces that the institutions exist in. Both institutions take their names from their locations former inhabitants. BALTIC is from the Baltic Mill, a previous flourmill and WIELS is a shortened name of the former Wielemans brewery. These names are now a visual identity, a brand that is recognisable.  These habitations have also to some extent become a brand in their bold aesthetic as “The façade of the institution offers a public face that must be mindful of its location and social, environmental and architectural context. It is both symbol and sign.” (Sharmacharja and Blazwick, 2009,Pg 16/17)

(Deviant Art, BALTIC, 2015)                                         

(WIELS Facebook, 2015)

Both institutions share the reinventing of old and industrial spaces into new venues in which to host contemporary art. As I mentioned BALTIC is a restored Mill and WIELS is a housed in a former beer brewery, originally designed by Adrien Blomme in 1931 and today has retained more features of its industrial past within the building than its counterpart.  These spaces, now transformed to host contemporary art, are eye-catching and unusual in their combination of the old and the new, a feature that each institution embraces. “The design of art institutions has become the most sought after of all architectural commissions… Museum buildings have become icons, brands, even franchises, deployed in urban regeneration schemes, adopted to enhance private property developments or hired out to aspirational developing economies.” (Sharmacharja and Blazwick, 2009, Pg 15)  Both WIELS and BALTIC brand their respective locations as they present images of the buildings on social media- their websites and even on merchandise. This choice to adapt the old rather than build the new not only resulted in an interesting aesthetic but also demonstrated the position each institution was adopting in the art world; “the decision to renovate and adapt former industrial buildings also meant a rejection of the traditional materials and architectural conventions used in art museum construction. In other words, the meanings of new museums and galleries could not- and should not, many directors believed- be the same. ” (Harris, 2004, Pg. 15). This makes each space local, as they are unique to that area and would not make sense in any other location. Reinventing the old to create a space for art stems from the 1960s idea to bring art into daily life and make it accessible to the public, rather than segregating it in an elitist art world (Klonk, 2009, Pg199). Each institution presents this past purpose and has a pride in its former life, which has a link to the history of the local community having provided employment, and to some extent been a backbone for the surrounding area.  This connection to the local area is relevant as “Just as the work of art can never be experienced in isolation, the institution must also be understood as part of a broader cultural landscape” (Sharmacharja and Blazwick, 2009, Pg22). These institutions also salvaged the aesthetic of their areas and preserved important pieces of history that could have been lost due to challenging architecture and heritage concerns restricting their re-use. 

The shells of the spaces remain somewhat untouched but the alterations to make each space suitable for art were dramatic and the challenge in such spaces is balancing the new purpose with the respect for the past.  The histories bring an aesthetic to each building that sets them apart from modern, purpose-built art spaces as they pose challenges, hold connotations and maintain features from their respective former life.  Having said this, both galleries present work in white cube spaces, be they varying dimensions. This conforming to the gallery norm allows contemporary art to exist successfully in each institution. “The ideal gallery subtracts from the work all cues that interfere with the fact that it is “art”. The work is isolated from everything that would detract from its own evaluation of itself:” (O’Doherty, 1976,1986, Pg14). This ideal seeks white walls, simple flooring and pure light that does not take from the work but coexists seamlessly in the space. “The meaning of an image is changed according to what one sees immediately beside it or what comes immediately after it” (Berger, 1972, Pg29), thus for the meaning of an artwork to be communicated it ideally needs to exist free from distractions. This distraction-free space has been accepted worldwide as the modern white cube whose initial conception was as “a translational device that attempted to bleach out the past and at the same time control the future by appealing to supposedly transcendental modes of presence and power” (O’Doherty, 1976,1986, Pg11). This space is ideal for the model of art that each institution hosts and presents a somewhat of a blank canvas for each galleries rolling program of exhibitions.

The genre of art that each gallery presents are similar as they are a combination of homegrown talent and international contribution that results in a varied and multicultural program. The inclusion of the international is appropriate in art institutions, galleries and museums as “The museum has the privilege of speaking the language of the times, which is a language intelligible to all and the same in every country” (Bourdieu and Darbel, 1991, pg3). The showcasing of international creativity also creates a context in which resident/local art can be read and appreciated. Each institution prides itself on its program and ambition in hosting contemporary art;

“BALTIC is an international leader in the ambitious and distinctive presentation, commissioning, development and communication of contemporary visual art… BALTIC exists to enrich people’s lives with a programme that deepens their knowledge, understanding and love of contemporary visual art while increasing and broadening its impact.” (BALTIC Website, 2015) “WIELS is an international laboratory for the creation and diffusion of contemporary art. While its focusing is on the visual arts, it pays particular attention to the crossings and interactions with other disciplines. The centre strives to present contemporary art in all its diversity and to offer a permanent dialogue with the most recent developments and debates in and about the art world.” (WIELS Website, 2015)

Neither organisation has a collection, which also ensures that the art presented to visitors is of-the-moment and is truly contemporary. The lack of collection also distances alliances with artists, which means that the spaces are more open to new work from whomever they deem appropriate at the time, as they have no obligation to display certain artworks. This gives the institutions a freedom to explore new art and take considered risks in their programming. Currently The BALTIC is playing host to the work of three artists; Jason Rhoades, Tony Swain and Ida Ekbald all of whom are contemporary and international being from the US, Northern Ireland and Norway respectively. WIELS is presenting a home-grown Belgian artist Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker that is suited to the Brussels historical interest in theatre and is a more circumspect choice. WIELS is supporting this exhibition with a series of events, talks and performances that relate to and expand upon the main work exhibited. The BALTIC is expanding upon the works of the three artists through tours and educational workshops that are in my opinion much safer routes to take. This difference could be in relation to the artist selection and its prominence to the local audience, with the safer artist choice balanced by gamble of challenging public events and the more precarious artist selection, being supported by tried and tested methods of public outreach.  

As well as showing the work of relatively established artists both institutions boast project spaces/ programs. These spaces are more experimental and present unrehearsed works and artists that may not be a suitable scale for the main gallery space. They also promote the creation of new art as they each have programs aimed at encouraging and enabling the production of art and development of artist practices. BALTIC 39 is the title of the project space hosted by BALTIC (BALTIC 39 Website, 2015) and WIELS boasts a residency program (WIELS Website, 2015).  Examining both spaces demonstrates some clear similarities that begin with the ethos upon which each exists. BALTIC 39 “enables artists and guest curators creative freedom to experiment and innovate, enabling them to stretch the boundaries of contemporary art practice.” (BALTIC 39 Website, 2015).  WIELS’ Residency Program is presented as “an international laboratory for talented emerging artists from all over the world. WIELS provides a unique framework for artists to pursue their practice and engage in current debates and researches that examine the potentials of contemporary artistic production.” (WIELS Website, 2015). Both spaces have proclaimed intentions to encourage the sharing of un-established art that would not be possible in the more demanding and prestigious main exhibition spaces. The spaces differ in location, WIELS residency program take place in studios located in the gallery building while BALTIC 39 is in a separate location in the city center. This difference may reflect the difference in participants as WIELS residency program takes applicants from around the world who are funded by their respective art councils to participate in the program. BALTIC 39 offers 33 studios to artists but also has a further connection to the local art scene with spaces for fine art students studying at Northumbria University’s Department of Art and Social Sciences.  The more selective process hosted by WIELS takes only 9 resident artists into the building, providing each with a studio and a structure of working with their practice being supported through peer crits and meetings. WIELS has a closer connection to the gallery and could be more selective and exclusive for this reason. BALTIC 39 appears to be more open with many studios but less structured an experience and a connection to university art students and a city focused project space. This space although having the BALTIC name is an offshoot of the gallery with a focus on allowing new artists to produce, rather than developing new art from artists in the manner of WIELS. These different spaces remain dissimilar in relation to funding, as you can see below;

BALTIC 39 is supported by Newcastle City Council and Arts Council England in partnership with BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Northumbria University. The redevelopment project of 39 High Bridge was funded by: European Regional Development Fund, Arts Council England, Tyne and Wear Partnership via Single Programme Funding from ONE North East, Northern Rock Foundation, The Sir James Knott Trust, The Barbour Trust, Newcastle City Council.  (BALTIC 39 Website, 2015)

WIELS Residency Program is supported by La Communauté française de Belgique, De Vlaamse Gemeenschap, De Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Fonds BKVB, Office for Contemporary Art Norway, EXKI, CECOFORMA, Pro Helvetia, The Agency for Cultural Affairs (Government of Japan), Goldschmidt Family, Xavier Hufkens Gallery, Nicole Marian - Almine Ruiz-Picasso - Cathy Vedovi, Sylvie Winckler, Biscuiterie Dandoy, Leo Van Tuyckom, Kunstkring Roger Vanthournout, Olivier Gevart, Suzon Ingber and Philippe Aisinber, Nathalie Guiot(WIELS Website, 2015)

The funding structures are evidently different with WIELS being more numerous, international and appearing more complex, which reflects the complexity of the governing/finance structures in Brussels (which I am consciously not going to discuss in this thesis).  This complexity in funding continues with the main institutional body as WIELS presents a comprehensive list of supporters and sources of funding;

For its artistic operations, WIELS is supported by The Flemish Community Brussels Capital-Region VGC - Vlaamse Gemeenschapcommissie The French Community The National Lottery The renovation and rehabilitation of the Blomme building was supported by Brussels Capital-Region (Monuments & Sites and special investment credits) European structural funds Urban 11 Municipality of Forest/Vorst King Baudouin Foundation Duvel Moortgat Eeckman Art & Insurance The architectural firm Art & Build is responsable for the renovation of the building completed in 2007. Partners Artistic Programme BNP Paribas Fortis Fondation WILLAME Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el arte PETERCAM Art on the Move Duvel Moortgat Institut Français JC Decaux Knauf Prohelvetia Villo! Media Partners Cobra De Morgen   FM Brussel H-art Klara Knack / Le Vif L'Express La Libre Belgique Partners Educational Programme Loterie Nationale Loterij Petit Bateau Thalie Art Foundation Community Partners Atrium Le Brass École n° 9 Geschiedenis - en Patrimoniumkring van Vorst La Maison des Femmes La Maison des Jeunes et le Service Prévention de la Commune de Forest Une Maison en + P.A.R.T.S. Ten Weyngaert

(WIELS Website, 2015)

I found all the above information on the galleries public website where the BALTIC was much more of a challenge to find out where funds came from. Some support is announced through logos on the website but much of this further information was not visible and had to be reached through other channels; BALTIC was initially founded with funding from The National Lottery through Arts Council England, Gateshead Council, Northern Rock Foundation, the European Regional Development Fund and One NorthEast, and receives continued support from Arts Council England and Gateshead Council. The center being a registered charity to which people can donate also sustains support. (BALTIC 39 Website/ Buchan P, 2013/ Gateshead Government Website, 2015/ NewcastleGateshead, 2015)

Although the funding structures are presented differently, each space receives funds from governing bodies and these are added to from outside sources.  The differences in transparency regarding funds could be a cultural difference as many of the spaces we visited in Brussels were unreservedly willing to discuss finances which is something less commonly done in the UK (again I am not going to investigate the cultural differences in depth).   A major disparity regarding funding is what each institution asks of the visitors. BALTIC is free admission with weekly free tours and events, with very few points of the public program asking for the purchase of tickets, with ticketed events often involving the use of materials that validates the cost (BALTIC Website, 2015). WIELS has a contrasting approach to BALTIC, with admission being charged most days to access the main gallery space, for the majority of the events and some of the tours (WIELS Website, 2015). This is a dramatic difference that affects the visitor experience.  Personally, I treat a visit as a more leisurely experience if I can come and go from the gallery as I please and I enjoy multiple visits, which is something I would be reluctant to do if I had to pay each time.  The choice to charge I believe would also discourage many prospective visitors and potentially an entire demographic that are new to art or this genre of art, as not everyone would be willing to pay to see something they are not familiar with. Although they have a difference in admission costs both WIELS and BALTIC are again united in their public program events and their intended audience. Each institution has events aimed at parents with toddlers, children, youths and adults with an overarching aim to educate.  Both WIELS and BALTIC share information in the name of education and preservation through documentation on their websites from past exhibitions that act as a record for artwork that is now historicized. BALTIC has developed this further with a vast digital archive being readily available. This advance in accessible information is another point where BALTIC appears more visitor-friendly than WIELS.  

Considering both galleries and their positions in their respective cities/countries I am aware that the need for the BALTIC to attract a wide variety of audience may be due to it’s location, out with the Capital city and concentration of culture that is London. Brussels has a much larger pool of potential visitors in the 1.139 million (2012) (Google-Brussels Population, 2012) populous to Gateshead/Newcastles 746,988(2011/2010) (Google- Gateshead Population, 2011 / Google- Newcastle Population, 2010), not to mention the travelling tourists that are attracted to the cultured capital. With their similarities each institution are presenting art to quite different audiences with different priorities and this is reflected in the dissimilarities I have recognised.

From my investigation of both institutions I can confidently say that my comparison was justified and relevant. Further interrogation into the infrastructures has revealed some major differences that have a specific effect on the visitor experience. Taking into consideration the different locations and audience as well as looking at each institution overall, across many points BALTIC and WIELS are remarkably similar spaces and organisations. This similarity and the mere existence of the spaces illustrate the movement of art institutions of the time, “In the last few decades we have witnessed a boom in museums and centres for modern or contemporary art. These are some of the institutions most flavoured by cultural policies worldwide since they are often conceived as miraculous crowd pullers whose creation can promote tourism, stimulate service industries, regenerate slums and revitalize a city in decline.” (Lorene, 2011, pg1) Both WIELS and BALTIC fall into this category having opened within five years of each other in 2002 and 2007. They are examples of the regeneration of industrial spaces through art and of the preservation of community landmarks that this ensures. They demonstrate the redirection of art towards the public and the ambition for art to enter the every-day. This research has presented a trend of the time and has captured a change in the international art world caused by the loss of industry and growing desire to share and promote culture to a wider audience.

References

Sharmacharja S and Blazwick I, 2009, A Manual for the 21st century Art institution, Whitechapel Ventures Limited and Koenig Books, London

Harris J, 2004, Art, Money, Parties; New Institutions in the Political Economy of Contemporary Art, Tate Liverpool University Press, Liverpool

Klonk C, 2009, Spaces of experience, Yale University Press

O’Doherty B, 1976,1986, Inside the White Cube, The Lapis Press

Berger J, 1972, Ways of Seeing, Penguin Books

BALTIC Website, 2015, www.balticmill.com

WIELS Website, 2015, www.wiels.org

Lorente J, 2011, The Museums of contemporary art, Ashgate Publishing Limited, Surrey

Bibliography

Books

Godfrey T, 1998, Conceptual Art, Phaidon Press

Berger J, 1980, About Looking, Bloomsbury Publishing

Berger J, 1972, Ways of Seeing, Penguin Books

Bourdieu P & Darbel A, 1991, The Love of Art, Polity Press

Bourriaud N, 2002, Relational Aesthetics, Les presses du reel

Cole I and Stanley N, 2000, Beyond the Museum; Art, institutions, people, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford

Harris J, 2004, Art, Money, Parties; New Institutions in the Political Economy of Contemporary Art, Tate Liverpool University Press, Liverpool

Inglis D & Hughson J, 2005, The Sociology of Art: Ways of Seeing, Palgrave Macmillan

Klonk C, 2009, Spaces of experience, Yale University Press

Lorente J, 2011, The Museums of contemporary art, Ashgate Publishing Limited, Surrey

Montmann N, 2006, Art and its Institutions, Black Dog Publishing, London

Norgan S and McIntyre K, 2003, B. Year One, BALTIC, Gateshead

Obrist, H, 2011, A brief history of curating JRP/Ringer

O’Doherty B, 1976,1986, Inside the White Cube, The Lapis Press

O'Neill P, 2012, The culture of curating and the curating of culture(s), MIT press

Rugg J and Sedgwick M, 2007, Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance, Intellect Books, Bristol

Sharmacharja S and Blazwick I, 2009, A Manual for the 21st century Art institution, Whitechapel Ventures Limited and Koenig Books, London

Sherman D and Rogoff I, 1994, Museum culture, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis

Tanner J, 2003, The Sociology of Art: A Reader, Routledge

Velthuis O, 2005, Talking Prices, Princeton University press

Online sources

Art Rabbit- BALTIC, 2015, www.artrabbit.com/organisations/baltic-centre-for-contemporary-art

BALTIC 39 Website, 2015, www.baltic39.co.uk

BALTIC Facebook, 2015, www.facebook.com/balticmill

BALTIC Twitter, 2015, www.twitter.com/balticmill

BALTIC Website, 2015, www.balticmill.com

BALTIC YouTube, 2015, www.youtube.com/user/balticbites

Buchan P, 2013, BALTIC Briefing Pack- Charity Trustees, Independent Trading Company Directors & Independent Audit Committee members, www.balticmill.com/documents (Peter Buchan

E-Flux – WIELS, 2015, www.e-flux.com/client/wiels_contemporary_art_cen/

Gateshead Government Website, 2015- BALTIC, www.gateshead.gov.uk/Leisure%20and%20Culture/attractions/BALTIC/Facts.aspx

Google-Brussels Population, 2012, www.google.co.uk/search?q=Brussels+population&oq=Brussels+population&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.5849j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=91&ie=UTF-8

Google- Gateshead Population, 2011, www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Gateshead+Population

Google- Newcastle Population, 2010, www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Newcastle+population

NewcastleGateshead, 2015-BALTIC, www.newcastlegateshead.com/things-to-do/baltic-centre-for-contemporary-art-p24181

Transartists-WIELS, 2015, www.transartists.org/air/wiels

WIELS Facebook, 2015, www.facebook.com/WielsArtCentre

WIELS Twitter, 2015, www.twitter.com/wiels_brussels

WIELS Website, 2015, www.wiels.org

Images

WIELS Facebook, 2015, www.facebook.com/WielsArtCentre

BALTIC, 2015, www.jenzeepops.deviantart.com/art/Baltic-Art-Gallery-484732727

BALTIC Facebook, 2015, www.facebook.com/balticmill

[eilidhmccormickcurating-blog]

Christopher Williams

The Production Line of Happiness

This exhibition is by far one of the best things I have seen this year. I find myself continually referencing the entirety of the installation in conversations about the display of art, as this exciting and raw aesthetic was so successful. The untouched and imperfect walls juxtapose the clean and concise nature of Christopher Williams practice in which he explores the world of the commercial, industrial and instructional photography. His photography often simplifies with refined detail and perfect balance which is contradicted by the purposely unfiltered surroundings. In the gallery the walls are far from the perfect expected in white-cube gallery spaces but are interrupted by relics of past works and exhibitions. Far from taking from the framed and glossy images, the imperfect walls highlight their qualities by standing in opposition and bring into the mind a further question of production, process and development. They explore the layers behind a work or a practice that leads up to the final presentation, all that goes on behind the scenes. This is fitting as Williams often uses set designers to help stage his images and create illusions through manipulation and presentation for the viewer. The space is further designed with the thematic green assigned to the exhibition bleeding out into the foyer and setting a tone for what the visitor is going to experience. The assigned colour interrupts all that is typical and creates a criticism of the norm in art and the institutions that present it. This exhibition questions the art world and brings an exciting new experience that breaks the monotony of standard strategies used for displaying art.   

Installation view: Whitechapel Gallery Photos: Stephen White (whitechapel Gallery Website)

[eilidhmccormickcurating-blog]

Playing Catch-up

I have been absent from my blog for a while and over this time I have seen some fantastic things that I am still thinking about today. I am going to consider these exhibitions and works further and post some texts looking retrospectively at my experiences. More is to come.

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Iza Genzken, Geldbilder

and 

Diana Thater, Life is a Time-Based Medium

at

Hauser and Wirth

On Wednesday I attended the private view of these two artists presented seperately at Hauser and Wirth. 

Housed in the South Gallery and hung on the tall white walls I found the canvases of the German artist Isa Genzken. Her intention with her work is clear as she presents currency juxtaposed with paint and media culture images. She is questioning commerce in our money-driven society by presenting international currency as an object. The aesthetic value of the everyday is presented with its symbolic connotations to be considered in this new setting, it now holds value as art. There is also a violent presence in the manner in which the paint is applied, a rejection of everything the work is presenting. These works are literal and obvious which makes them repulsive. They can be glanced and appreciated so the vast number being presented in necessary, they line to room uniformly hung which again juxtaposes the content in the art. These for me were a backdrop to the fantastic sculptures, created from concrete and found objects that allude radios and speak of the past. The objects have the form of the everyday and are recreated with concrete and presented to be considered in groupings. This is true for all bar one that is presented on a tall metal platform and towers above the audience while framing the space in its form. These sculptures steal the show and contrast the vulgar canvases on the walls in their simplicity and modesty.

Entering The North Gallery I meet a wall of silhouettes cast on top of the video projection by the American artist Diana Thater. Thater has created an immersive environment with footage of the Galtaji Temple in India and the monkeys that inhabit the architecture. Her work explores the space between documentation and abstraction in film and her presentation engulfs the viewer. Her practice investigates the environments in which ecosystems and environments play between the natural and manmade. Passing through an elaborate and doorway I enter the second screening room in which a film of monkeys is presented as if on a cinema screen with seats in the work, framing the work. This makes the viewer consider their position as they watch this documentary-like film that is again interrupted by the shadows of the people present. These interruptions are particularly interesting to me as they are a choice, the artist wants our existence with the work to affect the work and she wants us to be aware of it. This interruption of the human presence emphasises the immersive nature of the work and play to the theme that informs Thaters practice. 

Overall two very interesting exhibitions but for me North beat South with Thaters immersive work being much more engaging and interesting than Genzken. Having said this comparing the two is a pointless pursuit as they are like chalk and cheese, which is fantastic as they are two female contemporaries producing such different and successful work. 

[eilidhmccormickcurating-blog]

Talking about VAU

Visual Artist Unit are an exciting, young Scottish company focused on empowering Art School graduates and offering support once they have flown the nest of academia. Knowing many of the members from Art School, I follow the company on social media and have watched with interest as they have grown and developed. I reached out to one of VAUs founders, and artist Vivian Ross-Smith to find out more about VAU, their projects and her practice.

So where are you at the moment?  Right now I am living and working in Shetland. I have lived in several places, Aberdeen, Finland, and briefly in Glasgow but for now I am happy to be in remote Shetland. I plan on moving back down to Glasgow soon though. VAU is based in Glasgow and although I can be very involved in the organisation from afar as I take care of the media side of things I would still like to be more hands on in person. But I do enjoy moving around.


How is your practice going? My practice is going well, I am working out of a studio in Shetland and continue to make work regularly. Although I still miss the days of art school where all day, every day was spent in the studio! I have a few interesting personal projects in the pipeline currently so look forward to pushing my practice further over this next while. Current statement of my practice: The predominant focus in my art practice is the study of our natural world, especially relating to extreme and remote landscapes. My use of traditional methods of craftsmanship explores relationships between material and surface; and between man made and natural. Tying together both painting and traditional craft methods in a contemporary way, I reference how ancestrally collected skills, that would have aided the struggles of everyday life, can now be observed from a different perspective. As well as considering the effects and uses of the land by the people who inhabit it, I consider the formation of the land itself. Geology, especially the formation and layering of crystal and rock, is a main inspiration. Exploring and contrasting material’s within my work, I use natural and chemical materials and processes that are familiar but not normally associated with fine art, to challenge the viewer’s perception. VAU’s main aims are to support emerging artists based in Scotland and to improve public engagement and access to contemporary art for the wider community. We offer affordable and sizely studio spaces to rent in Glasgow as well as an artist and student membership options. Our memberships allows other artists to get involved with VAU and use their skills in our public engagement programme which includes workshops, talks, commissions, events and exhibitions.


how does your practice fit into the Visual Artist Unit you are involved in? Visual Artist Unit is a completely artist led Community Interest Company, everyone involved is a practicing artist with their own individual work. We ask for each member, as well as the management team, to bring their unique skill set to VAU. We promote skill sharing and often have things such as crits and members nights so we can all have a chance to share our work and ensure creative conversation is a regular feature of our practices.


Where did VAU come from? I remember some conversations while still at Grays? And can you tell me more about the Scotland based company? Visual Artist Unit started off when we were all studying in art school. The collective is made up of 7 graduates of Gray’s School of Art and 1 graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone. As a year group we worked very well together and got a lot from our time in art school. Basically we didn’t want it to end and wanted to figure out a way to keep working together and to ensure that the art school community and peer support wasn’t lost. We registered as a Community Interest Company in 2014 and now work out of studios in East Glasgow.


Were you inspired by any other collectives/organisations/companies? There are so many amazing Scottish arts organization to be inspired by but I would say that we were more inspired by the lack of other collectives and organisations doing what we wanted to do! When an artist comes out of art school they are on their own and the fantastic support network is lost, it can be a pretty daunting time. As we ourselves had only been out of art school for less than a year when we set up VAU, we wanted to focus on emerging artists, supporting them (and us) to use their hard work, skills and knowledge to continue their practice and open up new opportunities. It’s hard to break into the art world and we believe that doing it collectively can be a great benefit.

Having been involved in VAU I can imagine you have been introduced to a lot of interesting Scottish art organisations, can you recommend any to keep an eye on? There is a lot going on in Scotland and I think we have a very vibrant and enthusiastic art scene. New arts organisations on the scene that come to mind are 2-1-4-1, The Number Shop, CC, Dundee Print Collective, Interview Room 11 and Little Book of Transfers. Some more established favourites of VAU include Glasgow Sculpture Studios, David Dale, Market Gallery, Project Ability, I could go on and on!

If you don’t mind me asking how are you funded? Our funds come from Artist Memberships, Student Memberships, donations and event fees.

What have been the highlights for the company so far? And you personally?  VAU have had some great opportunities and experiences right from the start we have already had a members show which we held in the Old Hairdressers which was a great success. In January we had the first of our artist talks named “Pillow Talk”, this featured a discussion on their emerging years by artists The Brownlee Brothers, Peter Chalmers, Toby Paterson and David Shrigley. We are currently planning a whole series of Pillow Talk so keep tuned for that! We have also furthered out public engagement programme by completing a series of workshops with North Lanarkshire Schools resulting in an exhibition of their work. We made a video of our time with them which you can see here - https://vimeo.com/121052605


What are the plans for the future? VAU’s plan to continue our growth as a Scottish wide arts organisation, furthering out public engagement programme and continuing to offer opportunities and support to Scottish artist. If interested people can keep up to date on all VAU’s plans and events on Twitter and Instagram (@vaunit), on our Facebook page and our website vau.org.uk

I want to thank Vivian for this fantastic interview and for giving us insight into Visual Artists Unit. Check out the company website www.vau.org.uk and from this page follow them on social media to be kept up to date with upcoming events and projects.

[eilidhmccormickcurating-blog]

(a rather rambling) Reflection: 

Partial Presence

          In late 2014 I was selected to take part in Testing Ground, a project with the Zabludowicz collection. This project allowed me the opportunity to work with the artworks held in the Zabludowicz collection, the exhibition space on Prince of Wales Road and nine other student-curators to design and execute an exhibition in a matter of months.

          The prospect of working with nine other curators to design a single exhibition was truly daunting. I was anticipating tantrums, egos, competition and a whole lot of stress. Fortunately all of the above was kept to a minimum with a group of people knowing their own strengths and opting for discussion over debate. The biggest challenge from the offset was trying to organise everyone’s schedules, which resulted in multiple initial proposals. All of these first ideas were overall lacking but there were elements of inspiration present in each and similarities across the entirety that showed promise. The ideas shared the obvious use of the collection as well as a more specialist consideration of the collection as an entity. We were all fascinated by the fact that seventy percent of these artworks presented to us in fat red folders had never been exhibited after purchase. We were intrigued that they were logged under a number and maintained in a state of limbo within a storage facility. This caused us to question the state in which these works existed; are they still present, still alive in their wooden crates and cardboard boxes or is this facility the place where artworks go to die? Does an artwork ever die? These questions brought us to the aged concern of life and death, from which we considered everything that exist in between. With three thousand works to choose from we began to separate relevant pieces into identified states in the life-cycle, Conception, Maturity, Death, Relic and the few that straddle the boundaries. These were to an extent subjective but were a useful tool permitting choice beyond taste where it began. These groupings we referred to as constellations as we were considering them as being part of a greater whole while being connected within themselves. The constellations were separate while overlapping and being connected by satellite objects that straddle multiple states of presence. This identified state of presence and the single work being part of a greater whole lead to the title Partial Presence. 

Partial presence was planned and developed with the home of the Zabludowicz collection in mind. The old Methodist church has its own aesthetic that provides a challenge when introducing artwork. As a group we decided to use the verticality of this tiered space. We made the upper, overlooking balcony dark to have the light permeate across levels and reach above the limits of the ground floor. We also introduced multiple works with sound into the building, we utilized sounds engulfing and fulfilling qualities to unite a potentially segregated space. The constellations we had identified were allocated into the space on spiral maps that again reference the theme of circulation while providing a map for work. These spirals became the inspiration for our visual identity and exhibition image. The placement of work was quite natural as some had requirements that dictated a specific space and others had qualities that demanded another. Overall the exhibition slotted into place using our curating map, we presented work from the collection and works from invited guest artists sitting side by side. The guest artists offered an opportunity to introduce some elements of current practice into the exhibition and were all thematically relevant to our idea. This provided a different way of working that allowed us to present theme relevant artists rather than making work become relevant to our theme. 

Working with collection artworks absent of artists through the collection was an unusual experience. I had never been so dismissive of an artists’ practice while considering an artwork before, in this project I found myself taking the work for its aesthetic, title and prominence over the artists intention. I had never previously looked at works in this simplistic manner but when provided with a cultured ‘Argos catalogue’ containing some of the most exciting contemporary artists in the world, as a group we became much more irrational. The little time we had to complete this project also dictated our lack of research; it was in no way possible at this scale in this time. The exhibition as a result was more a reaction to the works and an interpretation of the art rather than the artists. This reaction to the work and the space created an exhibition that was site specific. The work in the final show that I believe worked best in the ‘site’ and was the most successful in my eyes was James Irelands ‘I know You know’. The mirrored steel pulled all that surrounded it into itself. I championed this work and positioned it in the center of the room because of its material qualities. It pulled the exhibition together and united the potentially segregated elements of the space. All the other works in the exhibition complimented each other and although it is not the selection I would have made if I were a solo curator, I grew to appreciate each one and certainly engaged positively with each the more I considered it. 

          The experience would have produced a very different result had we not worked so well as a group. The harmony behind the scenes ensured that we were all invested and engaged with the project and process, which in turn lead to passionate discussions and positive working relationships. I feel I was very fortunate to have been part of such a proactive and well-informed group of future curators that made a potentially stressful project very positive.

[eilidhmccormickcurating-blog]

A curating collective’s guide to curating a collection

A curating collective’s guide to curating a collection Preparation Therapy for the Aspiring Curator How to remain sane when collectively curating a collection Below we present a composition of advi...

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Follow the link to a collaborative and experimental text I wrote with two of my peers reflecting on our shared curating experience.