Scottish Art News: May 2016
May sees some leftovers from last month's spectacular Glasgow International, as well as new exhibitions on the dark Scottish consciousness, a new edition of the Satellites programme from Collective, events from Transmission and more...
At the start of the month, Collective Gallery in Edinburgh continues its satellite programme of exhibitions by recent art graduates. This time it’s the turn of artist and dancer Mark Bleakley, with his work A Nude Descends into a Lump: a piece of experimental choreography, with a sound piece directing listeners to look out of the window of the gallery and imagine movement in the distinctive Calton Hill landscape. Four live performances will take place during the exhibition, so keep an eye on the weekly online round-up of art events on theskinny.co.uk/art. From 7 May (preview 6-8pm) to 19 June.
Throughout May, Glasgow's Transmission Gallery hosts a programme of events for the current exhibition No Right Way 2 Cum, by Sidsel Meineche Hansen. Saturday 7 May brings Dr Charlotte Cooper (author of the book Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement) to give a talk at 3pm, with a zine photocopy party and performance by writer and multimedia artist Hannah Black. The next day, Meineche Hansen will give an artist’s talk, followed by Entertainment for the Adventerous Lesbian by Radclyffe Hall - “a concomitant group of artists and writers dedicated to exploring culture, aesthetics and learning through the lens of contemporary feminism.” After another zine photocopy bash on 18 May, the closing party takes place on 21 May from 11pm ’til late. All events are free, no booking necessary.
May also sees the beginning of the year's degree shows, with Dundee starting the ball rolling from 21-29 May and Edinburgh keeping it going from 28 May with their own presentation. As always, there will be an eye-overloading amount of work from the brand new artists and designers across the country – keep a look out for the custom editions of The Skinny in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and reviews coming up on the site.
You can read our recent interview with Duncan Marquiss here – his show Copy Errors opens in Dundee Contemporary Arts from 15 May, where he presents his recent Margaret Tait Award film, along with drawings and paintings. Find out in the feature why he thinks of his work as a series of “mistakes” and “happy accidents”.
(Continues below)More on Duncan Marquiss:
Duncan Marquiss on Copy Errors and his DCA show
Phantom Band: Rick and Duncan embrace the strange
Also featured in this month's magazine are Nicky Wilson, co-founder of Jupiter Artland, and Bill Hare, curator of Scottish Endarkenment. Along with co-curator Andrew Patrizio, Hare presents a thematically dark take on post-war Scottish art until the present day, open between 13 May-29 August. Wilson discusses the opening of Jupiter Artland on 14 May, with new works from Scottish and international artists being displayed across the 100-acre sculpture park.
From 20 May in Glasgow, artist Jacqueline Donachie presents a new exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art. In one of the main spaces, Donachie presents sculpture, film, drawings and prints developed from a long period of research into myotonic dystrophy, a genetically-inherited disease which causes muscles to remain clenched beyond control, and to degenerate over time. A public programme of talks and workshops is intended to open discussion around biomedical research ethics.
The last word this month goes to the continuing Glasgow International exhibitions, all coming and going too soon. Throughout May you can enjoy a catch-up with the Director’s Programme in the Gallery of Modern Art or Tramway; with painter Nicolas Party’s surreal uncanny lives, portraits and landscapes in Glasgow Print Studio; photographer and archivist Akram Zaatari in The Common Guild; and Sol Calero’s tropical-garden-cum-telenovela set at David Dale Gallery (until 21 May).