Over the last 25 years, the contemporary art scene in Scotland has undergone a significant transformation and developed into a comprehensive, creative and culturally vibrant industry in its own right.
In light of this remarkable quarter of a century of growth, the country is looking back at the fascinating history with a series of landmark exhibitions this year.
The six-month celebration will display over 100 works of art at 60 venues throughout Scotland, with a particular emphasis on a generation of artists who have lived and worked in Scotland and contributed to the nation’s rich output of art.
GENERATION will offer an ‘unprecedented view of the richness, diversity and range of contemporary art in Scotland’ and include some of the most ‘historically significant works’ to have been created here over the last 25 years.
The event is considered to be one of the most ambitious of its kind in recent years and is the result of three years of hard work. Although the spotlight is on Scotland, there is an international slant – works have been loaned from public and private collections from all over the world.
The National Galleries of Scotland and Glasgow Life have been instrumental in leading GENERATION from the beginning. With support from Creative Scotland, this partnership has brought together key players to achieve a distinguished programme of shows and events.
One of the key figures in bringing together institutions all over the country has been associate curator Katrina Brown, who is also director of The Common Gold, a visual arts organisation based in Glasgow.
In close collaboration with a ‘specially convened curatorial board’ – made up of representatives of partner organisations – Ms Brown has been instrumental in realising the aspirations of all of the stakeholders.
“One central aim of the project is to engage with a new generation and bring to life the possibilities that contemporary visual art presents to young people between the ages of 12 and 25 with an extensive education and outreach programme specifically devised to fuel their imagination and increase their participation,” the organisers have stated.
Featured artists include Rachel Adams, Sara Barker, Duncan Campbell, Rachel Dagnall, Alec Finlay, Bob Grieve, Owen Logan, Chad McCail, Victoria Morton, Rosalind Nashashibi, David Shrigley, Stephen Sutcliffe, Hayley Tompkins, Hanna Tuulikki, Alison Watt, Cathy Wilkes, Zoe Williams and Richard Wright.
Some of the key exhibitions are ARTISTS ROOMS: Douglas Gordon at Caithness Horizons Museum (Thurso); Happy & Glorious by Rachel Maclean at the CCA (Glasgow); 20 Years of Real Life by Ross Sinclair at Collective (Edinburgh); and For Myself and Strangers by Sarah Barker at GoMA (Glasgow).
GENERATION: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland runs until late October 2014. For more information, please visit here.
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