RSA: New Contemporaries
Featuring works by nearly 60 recent Scottish Art School graduates
Royal Scottish Academy
Edinburgh, Scotland
14-25 February 2009

by Rea Cris

If I were to summaries the RSA New Contemporaries show in three words it would be big, noisy and colourful. The image of choice? the purring foetus balloon.

The range of materials and subject matters was massive and frankly hard to take in.   There was an array of work with a social conscious. Fiona Beveridge’s work focuses on the proposal to re-establish a Scottish slate industry on the west coast of Scotland. Her slate sculptures are both haunting and sobering. Ashley Nieuwenhuizen’s videos make the viewer nervous and uncomfortable.  A woman endlessly chews a pile of black hair, while another precariously houses a goldfish in her mouth; there is also a sculpture of a crushed mouse in a teacup.  Her work focuses on breeding programmes and battery farming. 

Many of these artists make references to our relationship with the city. Jane Mulvey’s architectural maquette is impressive in craft, scope and concept. Her architecture concentrates on the reinvention of the Scottish Central Belt.  Ric Warren’s collection of little watch/bird towers is slightly unnerving as he experiments with the language of architecture and its social and mental implications on our society. 

For once, there was a comical approach to the arts. Sarah Ingersoll’s dead deer with its feet up in the air has absurd guts spilling out of its stomach.  Alexander McAndrew’s psychedelic dog/bear fight makes one laugh at its ridiculousness.   Euan Taylor’s project includes nominating himself Chief Director of Inefficient Solutions. Finally, Cornelius Dupre’s sunken pedestal is a comical rethink on the timeless classic.

And others returned to a more simple approach.  Grozyna Dobrzelecka is interested in recognising the details in life which are “generally disregarded” or, as she explains, “things that are nothing special in themselves yet crucial for us”. The continuous pattern of a chest of drawers holds the same beauty and function as the train tracks. Her work is the abstraction of the office cabinet, the simplicity of cardboard shapes.  Tor Jonsson takes simple photographs of a bus route on a deadly horizontal rural route, while Robin Thomson presents a video of the true disc jockey as he uses a turntable as a mesmerising musical experiment.

An acknowledgement for ECA degree show was present in Kevin Harman, as well as Brigit Steed, who had presented a archaeological/anthropological investigation of 37 Inverleith Place.  Her focus has now moved onto the Grytviken whaling museum in South Georgia, Antarctica where she will travel thanks to the Scottish Arts Trust bursary. She will work for three months at connecting the two derelict and abandoned places through the past resident, whaling fleet owner Theodore Salvesen. Unfortunately her work has the danger of simply becoming too pretty and devoid of any content without the pages of explanation at hand.

But I think this show is the archetypal example that perhaps the conceptualisation of art has gone too far.  I was blessed to have a copy of the catalogue complete with artist statements while viewing the exhibit.  It is no wonder that the ‘general public’ feel alienated.  Walking around the RSA with my masters in art theory under my belt I felt alienated as well!   In some instances the works of art were interesting but to be honest, without the catalogue they would be completely mysterious and dare I say meaningless. 

The range of artistic statements was confusing. While some delivered undecipherable philosophical ramblings others only had descriptive paragraphs when explanations were most wanted.  Has the importance of the artistic statement gone too far? When did the artist’s statement become an absolutely integral part of the exhibit and art making? Is it not simply the symbol of the bureaucracy of art? A perfect example would be the aforementioned Brigit Steed or Ella Clogstoun’s kitsch haven tea cup sculpture; a fragile sky scraper. But is her work interesting because of what it says or the materials used?

I once remember reading an interview with Damien Hirst where he said “Sometimes I have nothing to say”. Even though I think Hirst is a better businessman than artist, although sometimes I think this honest statement is fantastic and should be something all artists should strive towards.

http://www.royalscottishacademy.org/

http://www.eca.ac.uk/index.php?id=1067

Tonya says:

So you think all art should strive to lack meaning?  It is nice (and refreshing if it weren’t so calculated) that Hirst was being honest, but he was part of an anti-conceptualist group.  The current young Scottish crop seems to be reacting against the group that was reacting against neo-conceptualism that was against consumerism that was against conceptualism (forming a seemingly endless loop).  Could it be that  British art has entered a phase of Re-Neo-Conceptualism? (good god!)  I think the most important question facing young contemporary British artists now is how they can get off this crazy carousel ride?