THE ART LOVER

USA. Jamaica and Mexico: if you thought art couldn't get any more international in flavour you were wrong. RUTH HEDGES is looking forward to a year of global ambition for art in Scotland

t lltc i'ixk oli Yank-latigttc. tltc national

gallericx are continuing their low—allair

\\ith the ['8 ol’ .‘\. l'ollo\\ing .laxpcr .loltnx‘ and IItI Ruxclta'x lot‘a}x into Scotland. Andy Warhol‘x Sc/l l’ur/mi/x are coming to the National (iallerx ol' .\lodcrn .»\rt in l-chruar}. What will tltc iconrroltxcxxcd \xig»\\carcr lrom I’ittxhurgh haxc made ol himxcll o\cl' the _\earx'.’ \Vill tltcrc he an} \\ indoxx into the cold heart that made a \irtuc ol‘ impcrxonalityf l’rohahl} not. hut a lcxxon iit him to culti\atc eternal cclchrit) ix certain to he li\ c xtarx.

()nc macxtro \cr_\ much a|i\e and kicking \xith a major xolo xlto\\. promixing identit} politicx ol' a \cr_\ dil'l'crcnt kind ix Graham Fagen. llc returnx to the 'l‘rannxa} tor a big lat xho\\. (Yum Hum/x l’ti/‘t' llt'tll'l. tltat'x goittg to be nice and haxx-_\. Born iit .’\_\rxhire. l'agcit identilicd in hix )oth with reggae more than the work ol' hix tnorc literar} area ho} Rahhic Burnx. The poet. ol courxc. on|_\ puhlixhed hix /’m'm\ in the

‘FRANCIS ALYS' UNDERSTATED LITTLE FILMS ARE AS HOT AS THE MEXICAN SUN'

Scull/Kl] Dru/mi in I780 xo he could raixc caxh to emigrate to Jamaica. 'l‘he \IIU\\ takex ax a xtat'ting point the idea ol~ \xhat \\otlld ha\e happened to notionx ol‘ Scottixh identit} it the national hard had been xipping coconutx lrom hammockx rather than rcaxxuring \\ cc timoroux hcaxtiex in Iidinhurgh. litgeit‘x been making \\ith the man hchind ()n-l' Sound lahel Adrian Slierxmod and poet .lamex Rohertxon. Irie. ax the} xa_\.

.\ little later on and the art gctx xpikicr. (lo.\l;\ xtagex a big retroxpectne ol‘ the l‘eminixt artixt Barbara Kruger in .-\pri|. You \\ ill ha\c xeen her imagex in the poxtcat‘d rackx ol‘ right-on hookxhopx: hlack attd \xhite picturex \xith xtatcmcntx like 'You conxtruct intricate ritualx \xhich allo\\ )titt to touch the xkin ol‘ other men" and “We don‘t need another hero‘. The} xil‘ted into the conxciouxnexx ol‘ man} a )oung girl not to mention the odd man. lt'x going to he

intercxtmg to we lto\\ Krugch lcminixm \wi‘kx iii the ncxx millennium poxt ‘girl po\\er'. lad tnagx and Blair'x hahcx.

In the xamc month (ilaxgtm holdx thc lirxt Glasgow International art l'extixal. (‘uratetl h} l‘rancix \Iclx’cc. he ix hoping to bring o\cr Mexican-inixed Francis Alys. \xho tlexcrihcx himxcll ax a ‘compulxiw \xandcrci” and \xhoxc tmtlcrxtatcd little lilmx are ax hot ax thc .\Ic\ican xllll.

.-\nd the xummcr heraldx plcnt}. I‘\c al\\'a_\x meant to go to little Sparta. the garden created. h} Ian Hamilton Finlay tip in the l’entlantlx. .\'o\\ ix the chance. The artixt. xculptor. xlonc car\er. gardener. \xordxmith and philoxopher ix Ht) thix _\ear and the lngleh} (itdlCt'). Inverleith Houxe and little Sparta are joining l'orcex to cclchratc hix \\ot‘kx \xith three linked xhoxxx opening in .ltll}. Magic.

.-\lxo cclehrating a big hirthda} ix Paula Rego. She'x hitting the big 7() in 3005 and to mark the occaxion the painter ix xtaging a ntajor xhoxx' at lidinhtirgh‘x 'l'alhot Rice (iallcry. Her .xuhject matter hax ncx er xhied il\\il}' l'rom the uncomli)rtahle "l‘he Abortion Seriex' coming lnoxt l‘orccl'ull} to mind .xo I'm cttt‘iottx to xec thix \xoman'x work up cloxc.

()h. and there‘x alxo the Venice Biennale \xherc Scotland‘x /.enomap \\;tx xt) xuccexxljul in 2003 can I go attd xec it. plcaxc'.’ and the publication in l5ehruar} ol' Scotland‘x new \‘ixual art maga/ine The Map.

There doexn't xound like there will he much time lor other art l’ormx. Iloxerer. the film that‘x getting my mouth all xa|i\ar_\' ix the taxt)‘ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory directed by Tim Burton. xtarring .lohnn} l)cpp ax Willie Wonka. It could he thix walk golden ticket: I)ahl'x dark imagination. Button‘x lantaxtical Vixionx and the hcautil'ull} .xcreu hall I)epp.

l‘irxt (it all lttMCVL‘t‘. ix the rcleaxe ol Mercury Rev‘x latext album. The Sorrel .‘lligrun'on which ix perlectl§ timed. The xoullul xtrainx ol Jonathan Donahue are xure to xtir dormant xeedx and produce that delicioux hitter-xweetnexx in which the Rev rex'el. I am looking t‘orward to xhutting the hlindx and turning tip the Volume. ('ome on 2005. bring it on.

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

Coloursfest Download Oasis ' T in the Park . 2 ,t 11—, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Ra" ‘-x '-_-~:'. .t: :' Festival 5x " "w: t: 7w 2" :' '2 ‘. 'x. W,- ‘i' Tiw;l'1‘.e"‘atf,nalFestz/alhijeato B'd-x'ixt.) a ' - '~ 1' :- ._» it,” 1 :xetcsz: new Spanish theatre

C" :xc " -\- West End Report by the 68 Summit ' 't i:::_:-':': 3'04) La Cabana. Mm a new Burns an’ a’ Festival ' Cultural r: v 2'... t',‘:"’/"=P:FC‘;. Mule the An, Book. That ._= '3‘ ~ commission ':, z r; I: < t, 39: Farr“. Fri'ge and Jazz Festuals hope 1': to REM ' due out it "let " ,Qar ’rte rain stays ana/

28 THE LIST H