Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art: looks and children

Or how the art to arrange follows your steps in life

The art to arrange is about the way you can give a personal signature into things so that they become enjoyable. The more you travel the more you invent clever and quick ideas to lead a better and easier life. The important is not to be in a bad mood just because things could be better. The art to arrange is about personal involvement. You can make things become better. For instance, you wanted a window seat to travel but as soon as you are on the bus, you discover that although your seat is next to the window, it is a very small one. What are you going to do? Think clever. See what you can move. Open the curtain of your space, take it and stick it to the curtain of the seat in front of you. You have just made some space for your eyes. And it was not difficult to do so. The clue is to look at what is given to you so as to transform something; sign personally.

Children are very keen on this so called art to arrange. Full of imagination, they think out of the box and as a result, their juxtapositions make you see other combinations of this presupposed world. For instance, the answer “when I grow up, I want to be a spy or a painter” regards one of these cases that make you discover how the mind of a child works concerning creativity. When children enjoy, they can announce unique combinations of relations to you. In relation to this ability of enjoyment, it is clear that cities are enjoyable when children can enjoy in them.

Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art is a good example to realize that in a gallery there has to be also room for children to express themselves by playing with colors. I met there a woman with her children. They were playing quiet and the young girl with the fancy sun glasses smiled back at me. Later it was very funny to read notes such as “my name is…and liked the drawings very much”. There was a very good atmosphere indeed.

I felt myself lucky being at the gallery. I stayed for a long time there and especially I enjoyed the exhibition Tomorrow of Fiona Tan. This exhibition has been organized in association with the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, a biennial celebration that this year took place from 16th April to 3rd May. Tomorrow is a two-screen video installation, made in 2005 by the internationally renowned artist Fiona Tan, who lives and works in Amsterdam. This is the 1st exhibition of Tan’s work in Scotland and it is complemented by an extensive programme of events for young people.

For a better understanding of Tan’s work, which explores issues related to human representation – such as concepts of identity and nationality- you can attend the two following events:

Curator’s Lunchtime Talk
Fiona Tan: Tomorrow
Thursday 24 June, 12.30-1.00pm no need to book

Curator Ben Harman gives an introduction to Tan’s work, with a focus on her current GoMA exhibition and her most recent artworks to date.

Fiona Tan: Tomorrow, Visual Description Tour
Saturday 14 August, 3-4.30pm, please book

Artist Juliana Capes leads a visual description tour of the Fiona Tan exhibition, including a visual description of the gallery, exhibition and artwork, suitable for those with a visual impairment. The tour will also include a discussion and a chance to take part in a practical activity in the gallery.
In case you want to book please contact the Learning and Access Team on +44 (0)141 287 3059 or email GoMA bookings.

To me, observing various facial expressions of high school students from Sweden was a very intriguing experience. It is very important to be absorbed in soft, fast, slow or wild movements of young faces. I was thinking a parallel action with Greek students concerning the December’s burning incidents of Athens in 2008. In conclusion, art makes us reconsider what we may sometimes set aside in life. It is another side of the same issue that shapes us and lies on the bipolar relationship of identity and otherness. Culture is analyzed in human relations as mathematics in numbers. Through culture the art to arrange is ameliorated and thus parallel inner journeys can happen.

Gallery of Modern Art
Royal Exchange Square
Glasgow G1 3AH
0141 287 350
www.glasgowmuseums.com

Fiona Tan Tomorrow 16 April- 27 September 2010
Free entry
(Nearest subway station: Buchanan Street)

http://www.fionatanvenice.nl/disorient.php
http://www.frithstreetgallery.com/artists/bio/fiona_tan
http://www.frithstreetgallery.com/artfairs

http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com/go/id/ss/lang/eng/ 2-5/12/2010