JIMMIE DURHAM Universal Miniature Golf (The Promised Land)
Solo Exhibition at Glasgow Sculpture Studios 16 April – 04 September 2010 145 Kelvinhaugh Street Scotland G3 8PX www.glasgowsculpturestudios.org
Galleries open 12 noon - 5pm Thursday – Saturday, or by appointment.
Glasgow Sculpture Studios Public Programme aims to reflect a diverse range of approaches to contemporary sculptural practice, and Glasgow as a centre for the production and exhibition of internationally significant visual art.
We are proud to present Jimmie Durham’s first solo exhibition of new work in Scotland, titled Universal Miniature Golf (The Promised Land) created exclusively for the 2010 Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.
Universal Miniature Golf (The Promised Land) is the outcome of a three-month Production Residency, where Durham worked alongside over fifty studio holders and members; offering a rare opportunity for dialogue and cultural exchange between Durham and a generation of artists whose practices may have been influenced by his own.
This was the first residency Durham had undertaken in Scotland, and his first solo exhibition of new work in the country.
Seminal American sculptor, essayist and poet Jimmie Durham’s 47-year career has seen him create, perform and exhibit work across the globe. Traditionally Durham’s practice has seen him make work influenced by the location of its conception and fabrication. In Universal Miniature Golf (The Promised Land) the artist takes as a general point of departure Scotland (its history and culture) and its connection with golf, referencing a number of historic and contemporary issues, whilst intertwining the histories of the Scots and his own people. Though imbued with political relevance, the work also manifests a typically absurdist Durham sense of humour. Text-based pieces play with Scottish historical and cultural figures, and well-known objects, many scavenged by Durham, are re-worked and re-presented. As always with Durham’s work, when the smile fades the serious issues remain. This exhibition is accompanied by a commissioned text I hope that this does not give you the wrong idea by writer and curator, Robert Blackson.
This exhibition was supported by Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, Henry Moore Foundation, The Glenfiddich Distillery and WEST.
Durham’s Public Events Programme
04 August 2010 6:30pm Gallery 1, Glasgow Sculpture Studios Art & Research Journal Summer Edition Launch Ross Birrell Artist and Editor of the journal will introduce the Summer 2010 edition of the Glasgow based on-line journal Art & Research and discuss its contents and contributors, as well as provide an overview of the journal from it’s inception in 2006 and outline themes for forthcoming issues. This edition features contributions by Maria Thereza Alves and Jimmie Durham. www.artandresearch.org.uk
18 August 2010 Poetry Reading with Kei Miller 6.30pm Gallery 2, Glasgow Sculpture Studios Glasgow based writer and poet Kei Miller will read from his newly published collection of poems in the gallery at Glasgow Sculpture Studios. Kei Miller is a Jamaican poet and novelist. His first collection was There is an Anger that Moves and his newest collection, A Light Song of Light, was published in July 2010. He is the editor of New Caribbean Poetry and teaches at the University of Glasgow.
01 September 2010 6.30pm Gallery 2, Glasgow Sculpture Studios Ranald MacInnes Principal Inspector at Historic Scotland will deliver a talk titled The Histories of Glasgow inspired by Jimmie Durham’s exhibition and his representation and exploration of the city of Glasgow.
08 September 2010 6.30pm Gallery 1, Glasgow Sculpture Studios As Jimmie Durham’s exhibition comes to a close, GSS Artist Member JD Hollingshead invites a number of contributors to respond to the exhibition and work through written texts.
Free Admission to all events, but booking is essential due to limited capacity. To book, contact info@glasgowsculpturestudios.org
For further information contact Amy Sales, GSS Programme Development Manager via amy@glasgowsculpturestudios.org
Founded in 1988, Glasgow Sculpture Studios is a unique centre for research, production, presentation and the dissemination of contemporary sculptural practices. It provides specialist production and research facilities to a vibrant community of over 120 professional Artist and Associate Members who are at varying stages of their careers; from emergent and recent graduates through to established artists whose practice is recognised at the highest level; from representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale, being nominated for the Turner Prize to winning Becks Futures.
