Avery Singer @ McLellan Galleries

Commissioned by Glasgow International, Avery Singer’s work hangs in the upper echelons of Sauchiehall Steet’s McLellan Galleries. The five canvases characterise surreal timelines, motionless models placed in a postmodern history. They merge with industrial hardlines, which are interdependent of the new millennium objects. An iPad protrudes from the corner of one canvas while a male head rams itself into the toilet. It’s the only human form to make an appearance and emphasises a neo-Constructivist outlook.

The main subjects of Singer’s work are club revellers and other artists, living obtusely within compressed shades of light and faltering where a neon glare might be. Resident’s Reprieve sees a bikini-clad body slumped to one side while the neighbouring Naum Gabo-inspired model stares squarely into the abyss. Their clearly defined expressions, or complete lack of them, resonate with the wider influence of Cubism and mechanical form.

However, raring to conflict this vogue, the young artist employs the 3D modelling software Sketch Up to outline the initial composition of her work. This method proves a minute part of the assiduous process as masking tape, spray paint and a steady hand complete the final version of the work.

An ode to the Russian dominant era is the canvas Society of Realist Wanderers. Here, Singer mimics the first known Constructivist exhibition of 1921. Music stands are rigidly placed however their telescoping arms waver and contort like limbs. The artist is careful to distance herself from the dogma of these politically charged times, creating a wholesome but peculiar feel. It makes us think where the American wanderer will fly to next, taking with her the fusion of centuries and new-age abstraction of worlds. [Franchesca Hashemi]