Glasgow International 2008

Glasgow international Festival of Contemporary Visual Art - the Gi Festival - is the city’s curated and commissioning Festival, which provides a platform for the best of contemporary visual arts, from established Scottish and international artists, and from emerging talent. The third Festival, which runs from 11 - 27 April, is the first edition in its new biennial format.

The 2008 programme sees three strands of commissions and new work: • Artists with strong Glasgow connections that have given the city its international reputation • Artists from across the world, responding to Glasgow as a city and its people • The new up and coming generation of artists living and working in the city.

Curator Francis McKee has set a curatorial framework of Private/Public and says, “I felt it was an appropriate theme because so much is changing in Glasgow at the moment. New areas are being developed and the architecture leaves many open spaces but they are seldom genuinely inviting as public space. At the same time, the city’s population is redefining the city in its own way, with different ‘publics’ finding alternative space to flourish.”

Work will be shown in established public and private galleries as well as off-site in a range of temporary venues and found spaces.

GALLERY-BASED EXHIBITIONS

Among the highlights of the gallery-based work commissioned by the 2008 Gi Festival is the largest exhibition in Scotland to date by Jim Lambie. Forever Changes will take over the whole of the ground floor gallery in GoMA and will include a new edition of his celebrated Zobop floor.

Tramway’s, 20th anniversary programme opens with a major new commission from Jonathan Monk. Something No Less Important Than Nothing….Nothing No Less Important Than Something references both his own personal history and that of the gallery itself.

At CCA Catherine Yass will show HIGH WIRE, a multi-screen installation, which was co-commissoned by ArtAngel with the Gi Festival. HIGH WIRE continues Catherine Yass’ interest in vertiginous spaces: architecture, height and scale have been dominant formal themes in her previous work.

OFF-SITE PRESENTATIONS

For the Gi Festival 2008, The Common Guild continues its series of exhibitions in a private house turned “not for profit” gallery. Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed’s works are characterised by a simple, straightforward and transparent use of his chosen media – including video, photography, sculpture and drawing - and an often playful approach to existent forms, symbols or conventions. The first UK solo exhibition of his work, commissioned by Common Guild in association with the Gi Festival, will be presented in Douglas Gordon’s Glasgow House.

Other off-site shows include the Modern Institute presenting a new Simon Starling work and Gi Festival commissions a new Wilhelm Sasnal film exploring the issue of Polish emigration through recent events in Glasgow.

NEW GENERATION PROFILED

The Market Gallery brings together three artists of Japanese origin - recent GSA MFA graduate and New Contemporaries artist Hideko Inoue, Anti-Cool and Kathy Aoki - working to examine themes of community, belonging, diversity and stereotypes.

A. Vermin, the artist-run curatorial project, is to be given free range in the city centre State bar, using the premises as both gallery and event space.

Lowsalt, the artist-led, not-for-profit organisation founded in 2006, will show work both in the gallery - a new exhibition by Andrew Reid - and in a series of unexpected places (in alleyways, under bridges, parks, auditoria, or derelict warehouses).

EVENTS, GIGS AND ARTIST TALKS

Amongst the events and gigs highlights is the sole UK appearance by Rodney Graham the seminal Vancouver-based artist and his band, commissioned by The Common Guild in collaboration with the Public Art Fund, New York and in association with the Gi Festival 2008.