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Gallery of Modern Art

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Drever
Drever
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Gallery of Modern Art

  • June 5, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Drever from Ayr
Gallery of Modern Art

Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art is the second most visited outside London. Opened in 1996, its elegant, neoclassical building is a work of art in itself. On offer are a programme of temporary exhibitions and workshops by local and international artists. Most thought provoking during my visit were displays addressing present-day social issues.

‘Histrionics’ is an exhibition of new work by Glasgow-trained and based artist Roderick Buchanan, which addresses sectarianism and related issues. In 2006 there were 260 political and religious marches in Glasgow and at a minimum of one mile each that would be about 10 marathons. Glasgow contains two major football clubs one of which has Catholic roots and the other Protestant and the fierce competition between them helps to keep the sectarian divide open.

Roderick display includes a large, red, triangular theatre that takes over the roomy Gallery 1. Inside are two revolving films of Loyalist and Republican flute bands performing. On the outside walls of the theatre are displays ranging from photographs of Celtic and Rangers football players to information on historical figures that helped foster the sectarian divide.

It may be stretching one’s definition of art but there is something hypnotic about a marching band that entices people to follow it. Those bands representing opposing sects countermarching also help keep the sectarian divide open. ‘Love thy neighbour doesn’t come into it! Buchanan is reflecting on undesirable parts of Scottish culture, and holding up a mirror to it.

Also following the theme is the ‘Perfectly Wholesome’ exhibition. Councillors identified people who could provide information on sectarianism in Glasgow, and began a series of recorded research interviews. What became obvious was how importance walks, parades and marches were. When the group looked through the footage to develop artwork, it became clear the research films were so powerful that they should become the artwork itself. They appears on a continuous loop, and we become aware while watching them that there are many layers to this complex issue.

The Contemporary Collection is a changing collection. Pop artist Andy Warhol’s work is to appear soon! Currently the collection contains collections by Glasgow-based artists at different stages of their careers. All the artists represented studied at Glasgow School of Art, and most continue to live and work in Glasgow. Like modern art everywhere some of it appears delusional but experimentation is everything in modern art. One collection contains art from homes in a particular housing estate. It shows the broad range of art people do appreciation, which is fairly conservative.

Part of the job of modern art galleries is to be controversial or at least thought provoking. The Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art performs the task admirably. It is a free Gallery and worth visiting both for the art which will make you pause to ponder and to see its building which once belonged to a tobacco baron and was at one time the finest house in Scotland.

From journal Exploring Glasgow

Editor Pick

Gallery of Modern Art

  • May 17, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by artslover from Calgary, Alberta
Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art is right in the centre of the city in a historic neoclassical building. In front, a statue of a horseman is often wearing a traffic cone on its head. The external appearance is in contrast to one of the most visited modern art galleries in Britain.

The interior incorporates new architecture with the old, where modern works are displayed to their advantage. You enter on the ground level, where a reception desk with floor plans can be found. The art works are displayed on four upper levels. You can either walk up or use the number of lifts to get to the galleries. The interior feels very spacious with natural light entering the interior at various points. Just the building itself is worth a look.

Many of the names I did not recognize. There was a number of contemporary British artists who were new to me. Gallery 2 had works of Glasgow based artists, Roderick Buchanan, Graham Fagen and Toby Paterson. In general, the works, like many contemporary art work, ranged from abstract to conceptual to pieces which were commentary on social and political issues.

As well as viewing the pieces on display, GoMA has an extensive learning library in the basement with a café, free Internet access terminals, multimedia, art, and general book-lending facilities, which compliments the contemporary visual art focus of the Gallery.

GoMA is open seven days a week, and like all of Glasgow's museums, admission is free. If you like modern art or are willing to experiment with a new view of art, I highly recommend a visit to GoMA.

From journal Friendly Glasgow

Editor Pick

The Gallery of Modern Art

  • December 23, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Drever from Ayr
The Gallery of Modern Art

I guess we have all gazed in wonder at modern art and wondered if art can be found in a pile of bricks, a heap of elephant dung, a partially dissected human body, an upside down room or paint which seems to have been thrown at a canvas. Recently I even came across an art display that was little different to displays found in estate agents windows. Selling overpriced houses must be an art form?

I can’t quite figure out whether it is the artists who are totally mad, or art galleries that pay large sums for such exhibits or the public that go to see them. Possibly the artists have figured out that the rest of the world is deranged and they can cash in.

Feeling quite mad and for a bit of merriment, I recently visited the Gallery of Modern Art in Queen Street, Glasgow (entrance is free)

The main display was something that has earned the name Bangers and Mash by a David Mach. As I went in a woman was coming out saying, "Call that art!"

I could see immediately that the exhibit had some plus points.

We are constantly told that we should recycle more rubbish and this exhibit had done just that. It had taken several burn out cars (bangers*) and filled them with folded copies of newspapers and placed them on newspapers craftily built so as to resemble mashed potatoes. The result was a saving in the amount of rubbish that had to be disposed of.

This exhibit must have taken a lot of time to build. All the newspapers had to be folded to make use of the colour scheme used in the newspapers and built to the right pattern. After a time I even began to think that I was looking at a work of art. The artist had deliberately left the interpretation open. As the newspaper publishing business that printed the newspapers is now up for sale, the words "abandon hope" comes to mind.

I guess I have answered my own question. It is the people that go to see such exhibitions that are quite mad. The truth is that everything is art and if we just look out of our windows we will see a wonderful array of it. Certainly my DIY bird table, decorative wheelbarrow and wishing-well are works of art. I’m not so sure of the tokens left on my lawn by visiting cats and dogs. Even cracked mud is apparently art for that is exactly what one of the other exhibits at the Gallery consisted of.

For further information visit:Gallery of Modern Art

* An alternative meaning for bangers is sausages.

From journal Glasgow City of Culture

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