Slate: Drawing Exchange (detail on left) by Frank McElhinney (Fine Art Photography)
Ink on paper

The Glasgow School of Art is currently showing a selection of design and fine art work from The Glasgow School of Art’s 2014 Degree Show until 26 July. Based in the Burgh Hall in Dunoon, the exhibition features works from a selection of the graduates, some of whom lost their work in the Mackintosh fire.

Co-curators Theresa Moerman Ib & Colm Docherty said:
“The title of this year’s GSA in Dunoon show is borrowed from one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s watercolour drawings made in 1896. It reflects the unique process involved in selecting this year’s graduates for the exhibition due to the fire that damaged and destroyed a significant part of the Mackintosh Building and the Fine Art degree show on the 23rd of May 2014. Some works we were able to view physically, some survived only as photographic representations, some were lost entirely, while others had to be described to us verbally by department tutors or the artists themselves. By partly seeing existing work and partly imagining what the selected artists would be able to present, we worked diligently to curate a show that provides a visual and mental space for reflection on the events that have affected the entire GSA community over the past weeks. At the same time, it is a show that celebrates the resilient spirit of the graduates as they continue to make their mark beyond the physical boundaries of the art school itself.”

Remnants, Static, Bottle, Stone by Nicola Massie (Painting & Printmaking)
Screenprint on paper, image transfer on glass bottle and stone, various objects in resin.

Theresa Moerman Ib continues:
“At first glance, the works selected for this exhibition are modest and quiet works, small islands in a sea of white. But if you take your time with them and lean in close, you’ll realize that they’re screaming out loud. None of the works have been shown in public before, and they have either survived the fire, been recreated after the fact, or were made immediately before and after the tragic event. Each work bears testament to the fact that when artists hit a brick wall, they wince for a while, then dust themselves off and find innovative ways to climb over it. Dunoon Burgh Hall has kindly provided a stepladder to make that journey a little easier, and we are all grateful to be here. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such inspiring makers – without their resilience and hard work, there would be no exhibition. A friend of mine noted this morning that the show looks like “a complete triumph over adversity”. I couldn’t agree more.”

Negotiation of Space (A Door Opening and Closing) by Melissa Maloco (Fine Art Photography)
Carbon dust, artist’s paper

All images by Theresa Moerman Ib courtesy of GSA.

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