Turner Prize Winner Jeremy Deller Does Spinal Tap Smell The Glove
Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (20 April–7 May 2012) launched today with the unveiling of Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller’s major new artwork Sacrilege. Situated on Glasgow Green, Sacrilege was revealed as a full-scale inflatable replica of Stonehenge, one of the UK’s most recognisable heritage sites. The ambitious new sculptural installation in the form of a magnificent bouncy castle is characteristic of Deller’s on-going exploration of contemporary culture and continues the Festival’s commitment to presenting engaging works in the public realm. Sacrilege is Deller’s first major public project in Scotland and has been commissio ned by GI Festival 2012 in collaboration with the Mayor of London and with investment from Creative Scotland. With funding from Arts Council England Sacrilege will also travel to different locations in the UK this June, before being shown in London this summer as part of CREATE and the London 2012 festival.
Jeremy Deller said today:“This is a sculpture best experienced with your shoes off, in some ways it is an homage not only to the Stonehenge itself but to the anarchic freak out culture of Hawkwind, Bruce Lacey and Ken Russell.”
Showcasing work by more than 130 artists across nearly 50 of Glasgow’s best permanent and temporary exhibition venues, the Festival continues its tradition of bringing together exhibitions by the best international and local artists. Directed for the second time by Katrina Brown, of The Common Guild, the 18-day programme features a series of newly-commissioned works, several of which involve other disciplines, including dance, film, music, performance and theatre.
Visual art happens all year round in Glasgow but for two weeks every two years, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art puts it firmly in the spotlight. From artists’ studios through to major museums, by way of a vast range of venues new and old, the Festival is the perfect moment to get to know more about contemporary art and how and where it takes place in Glasgow.
Packed with events, talks and tours as well as major world-class exhibitions, some by artists living in the city and others by leading international figures, the GI Festival offers a unique moment in the British cultural calendar and presents Glasgow’s art scene at its liveliest and best, including significant commissions of new work such as the the major public art project Lowlands by Susan Philipsz (for which the artist was nominated and went on to win The Turner Prize 2010.
For a full, event-packed 18 days during 2012, the Festival will again present some of the best in contemporary art in an array of spaces and locations, including key venues such as the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) and Tramway, through to artist-run collectives and newly discovered spaces in the city.
Conceived and created in collaboration with the visual arts sector in Glasgow, GI 2012 builds on the successes of 2010 in supporting new projects from more than 30 Glasgow-based arts organisations and artist groups, alongside a programme of local and international artists commissions, curated by the Festival’s Director, Katrina Brown (The Common Guild).
Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art is funded by Glasgow City Council, Glasgow: Scotland with style, Glasgow Life, Creative Scotland, EventScotland and Scottish Enterprise. Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (GI) will take place across the city from Friday 20th April 2012 – Monday 7th May 2012.