- Students on the GSA’s inaugural MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) programme have jointly commissioned the new work
- Barr will commemorate Meirles’ failed proposal to locate a model of a typical council house by the City Chambers during Glasgow 1990
- Exhibition will be staged in Intermedia Gallery at the CCA as part of the GSA’s 2015 Graduate Degree Show
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Michael Barr: Untitled Work for Glasgow Cross (2015). Photograph courtesy Rae-Yen Song |
Graduating students from the inaugural MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) programme at The Glasgow School of Art have commissioned a new work by Glasgow-based artist, Michael Barr, for Intermedia Gallery at the CCA as part of the GSA’s 2015 Graduate Degree Show. The work combines historical material held in The Third Eye Archive at the CCA with documentation of an off-site performative intervention, that will occur in the days preceding the opening of the exhibition. The exhibition runs from Saturday 12 September – Saturday 19 September 2015.
“The proposal for John St. has been received from the artist, Cildo Meireles. He wishes to construct a 'council house' within the precinct formed by the arches, essentially to bring 'the periphery' into the centre and to articulate the complex interconnections of poverty, wealth, power and responsibility, specifically focussed on issues of housing and planning in the city."
Extract from a letter from Euan McArthur, Glasgow organizer of the TSWA Four Cities project, held in the Glasgow Miracle Archive at the CCA.
September 2015 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Cildo Meireles' failure to make a temporary public artwork in Glasgow. Meireles was invited to propose a work for the TSWA Four Cities Project in 1990, but his intention to install a model of a typical Glasgow council house in John Street behind the City Chambers was rebuffed by the then Glasgow District Council. Barr will acknowledge the anniversary by reimagining Meireles’ proposal whilst preserving, or even furthering, the poetic potential of its failure.
Barr frequently makes unannounced interventions in public spaces which push at the meanings of the contexts in which they unfold. His practice seeks to engage broad audiences in ways which are often beyond his control, and is more concerned with [the production of cultural signs than it is with the making of art.
‘In my practice I often use public intervention which treads lightly but deliberately across a political terrain,” says Michael Barr. “The archival material concerning the rejection of Meireles’ proposal offered a timely focal point, around which I could arrange an exploration of these interests. This commission represents a very welcomed opportunity to make such an exploration.’
The commission has been delivered collaboratively by the graduates from the inaugural MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) programme. It is one of five curatorial projects that include exhibitions, a mobile screening programme and a library, curated individually by students Ashley Holdsworth, Marcus Jack, Grace Johnston and Rosie O’Grady.
The graduates said: 'In commissioning a new work by Michael Barr, we wanted to provide an opportunity for an emerging artist as a gesture of commitment to supporting artistic production. We are excited by the work that Michael has developed for Intermedia Gallery, which continues to demonstrate his considered and playful response to specific contexts.’
For further information on the TSW Four Cities Project see:
http://glasgowmiracle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-1990-tswa-four-cities-projects-in.html
Ends
For further information, images and interviews, contact:
Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474
Listing
GSA 2015 Graduate Degree Show: Michael Barr
Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA),
350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JD
Saturday 12 September – Saturday 19 September.
Tue – Sat: 11am – 6pm; Sun: 12noon – 6pm closed Mon
This specially commissioned exhibition by students from the inaugural MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) programme at The Glasgow School of Art reimages Cildo Meireles' proposal for a temporary public artwork – a model of a typical Council house - during the Glasgow 1990 Year Culture, which was sadly rejected by Glasgow District Council.
Entry free
For further details visit www.cca-glasgow.com
Notes for Editors
For further information on the TSWA Four Cities Project see http://glasgowmiracle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-1990-tswa-four-cities-projects-in.html
Michael Barr
Michael Barr is a Glasgow-based artist. He read Geography at the University of Cambridge (2007) before graduating from the Environmental Art department at the Glasgow School of Art (2015). Recent works include durational performative interventions at Glasgow Cross (2015), Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (2015), and the Isle of Eigg (2014). His work was included in SO IT IS, The Briggait, Glasgow (2014). Recent residencies include those with the Saint Laurent Arts Programme, France (2014), The Bothy Project (2014), and Cuxhavener Kunstverein, Germany (2013).
MLitt: Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art)
MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) is a new 12-month programme, offered jointly by The Glasgow School of Art and The University of Glasgow. Embedded within the city of Glasgow, it draws upon the community of artists, gallery professionals, institutions and international connections. Taught by dedicated staff and guest faculty, including curators and artists, the programme strikes a balance between discourse and practice and follows a workshop model, whereby participants engage on a range of live briefs and projects throughout the year. Earlier in the year, the graduating students collaborated to deliver The only way to do it is to do it, an exhibition and series of events at the Hunterian Art Gallery, which runs 17th March - 4th October 2015.
CCA
CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts is Glasgow’s hub for creative activity. The building is steeped in history and the organisation has played a key role in the cultural life of the city for decades. CCA’s year-round programme includes cutting- edge exhibitions, film, music, literature, spoken word, festivals, Gaelic language events and much more. CCA also provides residencies for artists in the on-site Creative Lab space, as well as working internationally with residencies in Norway and Quebec. CCA curates six major exhibitions a year, presenting national and international contemporary artists, and is home to Intermedia Gallery which showcases emerging artists. www.cca-glasgow.com