Visual Art

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SCULPTURES TAKE ON THE APPEARANCE OF WEAPONS OF TORTURE

Paths of resistance

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The silent singer

Alexander Kennedy looks at the work of Glasgow-based artist Craig Mulholland, where the sound of silence deafens and shatters the subject

it an e\hihition that spans three \enuex. and \till morph into an e\en larger installation in Bl'ixtol later this )ear. ('raig \ltilliollaiitl'x (ii‘tiiii/cx t'l I’M/rm .tliii liiiit'x. which comprises sculptures. constructed paintings. and films. fills the Mackintosh (ialler_\ at (BSA. \\ith satellite projects in Sorcha Dallas and the (ill. 'l'hix ix an enormous \enture. lT(I\L'tl on the lormal and theoretical atl\ance\ .\lulhollantl ll;t\ made in the ltlxl the _\ear\. huiltling on and hreaking tloxx n the \arioux \uhiectx that he has in\e\ligatetl in \xork on \hoxx pre\iou\|_\ at Dallas. 'l‘ranxmixxion and Stirling'x 'l‘he l.i\ing Room. 'l‘hix project ix at once more comple\. l'urther reaching in its philosophical aims and aesthetic approach. _\et can al\o he seen as a k'tllltlk'll\L‘tl antl xiinplilietl interpretation of his pre\iou\ preoccupations. (ii‘tiiii/t'x t'l l’t'lili'x .lltii‘liiiit'x is a catacl_\\mie resolution. llit‘l‘t‘ ttl't‘ Millie tl‘.tl'l\ l\\lle\ L‘\Ul\L‘tl lit the \\iil'l\\ till tlixpla). a deep \enxe of In“. anguish. oppression and frustration. Or rather. one can \a_\ that through the skill‘ul manipulation of forms. .\lulhollantl taps into a set of \ignx that x} mholixe thexe tlreatll‘ul emotions for us. l)rilletl antl etchetl aluminium \heetx rexeinhle hroken \\llltltl\\\ in 'l‘ree Ratliealx' at the (SSA. \xith \ut'l‘ocating ma\|\-lil\e forms and \ountlprtmling peghoartl lI\C\l to silence imaginar} \Cl'L‘tlllh. 'I'he galler} te\t at the (BSA tell\ us that the \xork e\amine\ the coerci\e role that technolog} play in presenting ll.\ \\ith itleax of. progress. entrop} and their \ocial. cultural and legal impact.‘ But \\ e can take thix further and sa} that .\lulho|lantl\ art alm heeomex part of this coercion lean amthing or amone escape it'.’l. h} the \er_\ tact that \\e read the forms. materials and signs he tl.\e\ as part ol‘ Illlx clixeourxe on progress and

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entrop). While the artist hope\ to deal \xith larger. ahxtract issues. the pil'l‘ling human element is met present in the work on show. It is the artixt. the \ ie\\ er. the human and singular \uhiect that progresses. regrexxex. and is in a stale til entrop}.

.-\ll of the \xork on \hou seems to he concernetl \\ ith speech. as the hea\_\. terril'}ing silences hetueen one caeoplionic noise and another. This llllc‘tllllltll'litltl} mer—pregnant place lH‘llIl‘t' language. helore \}mholi\ation. is transformed into tripotlx \xith mierophone-like halls of epo\_\ resin and pester cones attached in '\\eL‘I‘ii1:_' Journal. and ‘l’athx of Resistance". 'l'he suggested functional element of these sculptures is tlmartetl h_\ the materials ll\k'tl. so that \\e llH\\ ha\e ohiectx that \top \peeeh. stop e\pre\\ion. 'l‘he tripotlx take on the appearance of \xeaponx of. torture. \lingxliotx that Illl‘ti\\ eanniinhalh til. \[k‘c‘c‘li ill the audience.

In his ne\\ lilm. ‘l’eer to l’eer". \\ e encounter a similar interpretation of the aggressixenexx of speech. the tear of speech and e\pre\\ion itself. .-\n ()rxxellian sense of domination from an imaginar} Ian enforcer \xorkx itself out in a \uhiect emptietl ol' heing hut left \xith panic and dread: the 'grantles machinex‘ tligextx \mall \uhiectx as 'petit machinex'. 'l‘hix operatic \xorlt takes us into the tligitall} constructed head of a protagonist inametl the '()perator' in the accompan} ing lihrettoi. one of the to e characters that can he read a\ axpectx of a personalit} at war \xith llw‘ll. tt \ltttIlL‘l’L‘tl \uhiect.

Grandes et Petites Machines, Glasgow School of Art and Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Sat 22 Mar. The film ‘Peer to Peer’ was shown at the Glasgow Film Theatre, Wed 20 Feb om.

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THE BEST EXHIBITIONS

* Craig Mulholland: Grandes et Petites Machines The artist presents a Vis‘i0n of a dark future, where dysfunctional siihiet‘ts park and srng ernpty instructions and useless information 'I he sculptural and painted elements on show at Sorcha Dallas and (38A also function as the (-tnimated props in Mttlli()|lan(l's filitt ‘l )eiir to l’eei' See review. left. Mack/iltosli Gallery. Glasgow St in )( ll o' All 8 Sorcha Dallas. Glasgott; until Sat 22 Mar.

* Nick Evans and Tony Swain Nick Evans continues to examine the tension between figurative and at istiait elements Within modernism, creating sculptures that take on anthropomorphic qualities through being posed in certain ways. Swain cuts. pastes and paints everyday reality using everyday materials. creating subtle but impressive newspaper collages. See rewew. page 95. lnverleitli House. Royal Botanic Gardens. Edir’iburgh, until Sun 2( l A; ii;

* Ansel Adams This exhibition. the most comprehensive ()‘~./(3r‘/le‘.‘./ of Adams work ever shown in the UK. includes 150 original prints of photographs Spanning Adams' work from the 1920:: to the 19608. from his most famous images of the American West to portraits. Sllll lifes and abstract photo studies. See reView. page 96. City Art Centre. Edinburgh. until Sat 79 Apr.

IIg Them Them documents a social experiment deVised by Artur Zmijewski in which representatives of conflicting social groups are brought together through a series of workshops. Each group is asked to construct a banner and then to comment and react to the others. The participants are then asked to react. to each other's work; to negotiate. to fight. or to withdraw. See review. page 96. Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sat 22 Mar.