REVIEW ART
to“ 9%.?» N: ks ‘
NEW SCOTTISH ARTISTS
Dermmw Galleries. [Jilin/Hugh ll/I/l/ Il'u/ 25' I'll).
With a I‘ew prohlerus on the cash l'ront. the Demarco lioundation put out an invitation to young Scottish-hascd artists: coruc eshihit your work here tor a small l'ec. So we lind the work ol‘ thirty selected artists filling the Foundation's multi-room and multi- level space.
(‘rossing the whole gamut - conceptual through to landscapes - New Scout's/1 Artists is a display ol' hoth the good and the indil‘l‘erent. hut nonetheless the overall energy and vibrant .s‘tyle ol‘ the show win the day. Alexander (irant's (iml (furl/is l/// is a clever metaphor of The Fall ol‘ Adam and live. In two shallow hoxes filled with autumn leaves he a pair ol his and her pristine. white Y-I‘ronts and knickers. Being kicked otrt ol' [{den may have introduced modesty hut l’rom this piece you guess it was also (iod‘s gilt to Marks and Spencer.
Smartly corrrhining (ills psychedelia with an icon ol‘ the age is Aeneas Wilder's [lurlmru— coloured swirls and whirls of metal shaped to form the carcase ol‘ a life-size Mini. \Vhile Amanda I-logg's Algal/"re Spares is a near spider's web of litres directly painted on to the walls of one ol‘ the gallery‘s corners. Irvine Largc’s paintings catch the eye not just hecause ol~ their bright shininess. hut tor a wistl‘ulness that seems to cling to the solo figures. And there's a hit of a visual tease with Anne Skinner‘s Cinderella.“ Most Beautiful [zit'tI/ltlllurl. where the torso and sweet-smiling lace
, -- .. N a ‘13:.
) ,V n i \
‘ I " T‘ ‘ «If
Psychedella and the Mlnl: Aeneas Wilder’s Barbara managing a smile, and John Lennon
I i‘ s
‘t ‘T
ol‘ (’inders is placed on a hill top. the verdant hill providing her with a splendid crinolinc. rSusanna Beaumont)
[33111351— EVA ROTHSCHILD
00A, Glasgow until Sun 10 Mar. Despair and anger with the ubiquitous ‘grey man in a suit’ has generated eager anticipation for the arrival of little green men. Eva Rothschild’s solo show Native/Other at USA as part of their Phenomenal season, intelligently examines the question of this widespread desire for extra-terrestrial contact, while simultaneously highlighting the urgent need for all- party talks with others closer to home.
Using the metaphor of the alien, Rothschild has created a variety of multi-media works which poetically spotlight the mixture of fear and excitement involved in the desire for the unfamiliar. In the videos Sentry and Small Signal, she waits by the sea in anticipation of an imminent arrival and fires distress flares into the night sky inviting contact.
In photographs, the psychological necessity of accepting and embracing different facets of the self, as a means of survival, is explored. While Generic Learned Greeting re-rehearses a familiar Spock-like gesture.
In all, the show provides a subtle and considered reflection on navigating and bridging problems of difference, cosmic or cultural, whether the alien is from within terrestrial or extra- terrestrial boundaries. (John Beagles)
? \
Illustrated ways: Jane Simmons’s Beryl Goes Wil
'Palladium, barely 24 hours before her
[HIRE— IMAGES 20
lit/irr/Jtrrg/i ('(il/egr' o/ .Il'l mm! l‘lmrs 3‘) I’v/r.
Illustration is the coal lace ol' British art. Regular work and rcgtrlar money are not things many artists can hoast, But take illustration out ol' contc\t. ol‘I'
Spock-like gestures: Eva Rothschild’s Generic Learned Greeting
the supermarket shell or out of the colour supplement and it can look flat on the gallery wall.
Images 3/): The lies! ()l [frills/t ('o/rlt'ni/mmrv l/luslrultmr at lidinhurgh (‘ollegc ol‘ Art. is an annual show case ol~ work hy Britain's top illustrators. But this is not the sort of art that can exist lor its own sake. By delinition. illustration is a support an. However. there are images that work and can stand alone. Janet \\'olley"s montages l'or Murphy 's are deserved winners ol industry awards and her work l‘its the hill. They are original. ey c—catching and they sell lreer. .\liclrael Ilill's map l‘or (‘owes Week actually henelits l'rom heing on display. In real-lite it would end tip trampled underfoot. unappreciatcd dchris alter a day out.
'l‘he hlurh hclow each work proves an unusual opportunity to ‘tesl‘ the art work on its stated aim. Ian \\'hadock‘.s lit/util .llt'usurm. a visual metaphor for social inequality. representing the two tier system ol ‘the haves‘ and ‘the have nots'. clearly succeeds in I‘ocusing the reader on the article it illustrates. It would have been interesting to see this. and other images represented in their conmrcrcral situations as well as their solitary states. (Lara Donaldson)
CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHS
Route 66 Gallery, Edinburgh until 30 Apr.
Nostalgia plays a big part in making us wish we lived in happier, happening times, say the 605 when everyone was hip and swinging. Don’t believe me, well go and view Stanley Reilly’s photographs at the new Route 66 Gallery in Edinburgh’s Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Centre. From his almost inexhaustible supply of pictures, Reilly has selected a dazzling who’s who in showbiz: all beaming faces from Liberace, lulu, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Sellers, to name but a few snapped about town in 605 London.
What’s most striking about the exhibition is that Edinburgh-born Stanley seems to have assembled a notable family album. There’s something very human and natural about the works. Not surprisingly, Stanley says every photo holds some special significance for him. There’s Judy Garland taken outside London’s
tragic death, Frankie Howerd, tired but
who reminds us just who the 605 belonged to: the Beatles. Even the Royal Family are caught in cheerier times: attending the opening of Meadowbank and the premier of Hello Dolly. This is an intimate collection from an unassuming but gifted photographer exhibiting his work for the first time. It’s a wonderful visual record of a beloved era. (Paul Smith)
All smiles: Peter Sellers In the 60: photographed by Stanley Rellty
The List 23 Feb-7 Mar I996 69