Martin Creed @ The Common Guild

Article by Andrew Cattanach | 03 Feb 2010

Martin Creed is to have his first ever solo exhibition in Scotland. Remarkable when you consider he spent his childhood in Glasgow before moving to London to study art. But that was the 1980s when Scotland was, on the whole, a more formidable place to live, having suffered years of neglect at the hands of the Iron Lady.

Now an official UN safe area, Creed returns with his aptly named show, Things, at The Common Guild in Glasgow’s snazzy west end. Works have been selected from the last decade to harmonise with The Common Guild’s domestic setting – so expect to see stacks of chairs and tables partially obstructing doorways.

Creed is the master of the pared-down intervention. Humorous and banal in equal measure, his work enthralls some and annoys many. His famous Turner Prize-winning exhibit of a light going on and off made him a tabloid scapegoat for a while. Regardless of your opinion on the light controversy, Creed is one of the most important artists of our time and should not be missed. You never know, he might change the way you see a chair or a table or a skirting board. [Andrew Cattanach]