The Glasgow Collective

The Glasgow Collective is a group of recent graduates from Glasgow School of Art. Fighting the inevitable tide of stagnation that follows graduation, these shrewd individuals have formed an alliance, impelled by the will to exhibit. Instead of all jostling for the same exhibition opportunities, they have come together, raised an awesome sum of money (with no help from their former institution) and put on an exhilaratingly vibrant show in London’s fashionable East End.

In the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall the artists display a selection of their work that includes painting, sculpture, video and photography. Only recent graduates, used to the dire conditions available at art school, can make a successful exhibition in a space of such aged decrepitude. The installation of work is often ingenious, using every shitty corner and many a skanky stairwell. The most successful works are those that enter into a dialogue with the space, with the lesser works lost in the maze of crumbly walls.

Of particular note is Harriet Lowther’s The Big Thank You Project: a collection of thank you letters – and their replies – sent to various companies, expressing the author’s gratitude for providing such an excellent service over the years. Included are letters to Tetley, Heinz and Wrigley, making for a humours portrait of a young lady and a compelling critique of our consumerist society.

Kate Gallacher’s videos of wonderful Duchampian machines had me caught in their hypnotic spell. Maximilian Sleven appears to have photographed bits of detritus from various galleries in Europe and America, pointing to the fallacy of our reverence toward these inherently doomed institutions. Ane Holsaae’s beautiful photos bravely confront our human frailty. ACD Ferguson haunts us with his percussive, untitled work consisting of a dripping tap beating out a slow rhythm on an abandoned drum. And finally, Desmond Church’s inexplicable collection of empty bottles and electric fans, Drone, highlights the ridiculousness of objects – and in turn me, looking at these absurd items.

Welcome to London, Glasgow Collective. Please come again soon.