GoMA Glasgow open Aaron Angell exhibition
A solo exhibition from artist Aaron Angell is set to open at GoMA Glasgow on December 8th!
Article Source: Glasgow Museums
Last Updated: 7 December 2017 11:01
Aaron Angell (b. 1987, Kent) presents a series of new works including ceramic sculpture, inflatables, painting, Victorian furniture and plant life to create an anachronistic interior, which mines various points in history and unusual hobbyist cultures to develop a large scale, immersive exhibition.
At the center of the exhibition is Glasgow Museums’ Wardian Case, this Victorian fern case will be displayed for the first time in over a quarter of a century. It was conserved especially for the exhibition and is to be fully planted with a range of ferns and mosses in a style reminiscent of its original display in the mid-nineteenth century. One of the very few surviving, original Wardian Cases, the piece was built a stone’s throw from GoMA and dates from around 1860. It is without doubt one of the finest ever made.
Aaron Angell said: “The centrepiece of this show is approximately the most Victorian object ever manufactured. It has it all. Fetishisation of the most stolid aspects of the classical world, the bondage of wildness and growth, even the concealed sexual organs of the ferns and mosses themselves. It is also, almost by mistake, a prototype for the radical biotopic architecture of the mid-20th century.
“As an exhibition space without any proper walls, I was interested in contrasting the case with a treatment of the hall at GoMA as a basic exercise in open plan interior design. The cliché of the loft, the archipelago of stations, objects, and pools of light. This is much more a house for a couple than an exhibition of my work.”
Chair of Glasgow Life, Councillor David McDonald, said: “It’s exciting to engage with an artist like Aaron who has taken time to delve into the city’s extensive collection and in doing so has rediscovered a beautiful Wardian case. Working with Aaron has allowed us to refocus our attention on a truly visually stimulating object, one which hasn’t been on show for quite some time and bring it back to life for the public to enjoy.
“Aaron Angell’s new show is the flagship exhibition in GoMA’s programme for the forthcoming year. I urge people to visit and consider how the different artworks created add to the narration of GoMA’s history that is explored elsewhere in the building.”
Alongside the case will be four new sculptures – a piece of inflatable furniture filled with a mock hypocaust heating system, a methane ‘sewer’ gas lamp, a cabbage and a cinerary urn. The lamp will feature the four pipe form that occurs throughout Angell’s recent work and a sconce modelled on a Roman coin. Ceramic works, made shortly after Angell’s recent residency at the Leach Pottery in St Ives, are based on the profile of Roman cineraria or cinerary urns intended for the remains of married couples. Having never visited Italy, the history of the Roman civilization remains “Literary and ridiculous” to Angell, a malleable idea rather than a historical fact.
In a continuation of the artist’s interest in problems of scale, hobbyist aesthetics and poetic thought, Angell will also display a giant flatpol cabbage, presented as a sculpture. Grown by expert giant vegetable grower Kevin Fortey the cabbage will be housed in a concrete artist-made planter. The cabbage, like the ferns and mosses, will continue to grow during the exhibition’s run, offering the idea of the exhibition as a living extension of Angell’s practice.
All of the works reference the complex history of GoMA’s site as a residence, garden, and neoclassical fancy. They continue Angell’s interest in marginal forms of image making and collapse the distinction between high and low art. The intentionally amateurish look of his sculptural work, for example, is offset by the in depth, nuanced and detailed histories that Angell mines for reference and by the difficulty of the ceramic process itself.
Angell studied at the Slade School of Art and is the founder of Troy Town Art Pottery, a radical and psychedelic pottery for artists. He lives and works in London.
Upcoming solo exhibitions include: Koppe Astner, Glasgow, Art Exchange, Colchester, and Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany.
Sponsored Links
Latest Glasgow News
King Pins offers free bowling to anyone called Colin
Ahead of opening on 26th June in Silverburn Shopping Centre, King Pins is offering a free round of bowling to anyone named Colin, with bookings now live!
READ MORE
Vue to host marvellous superhero season welcoming classic X Men films back to the big screen for 25th anniversary
Film fans, families and comic book enthusiasts are invited to rediscover the original big screen superhero team as a series of classic X-Men films return to the big screen at Vue this month.
READ MORE
Flight Club Glasgow unveils glorious summer cocktails
With the weather heating up, cocktail drinking season is upon us, and Flight Club Glasgow has just dropped a banger of a drinks list to crack through this summer!
READ MORE
Piping Live! festival and World Pipe Band Championships have officially launched for 2025!
Glasgow will hit the high notes this August as Scotland, the global home of piping, looks forward to the world's biggest week of bagpipes with the return of two iconic events!
READ MORE
Kids Fly FareFREE on new Loganair routes
Families can take advantage of Loganair's new Kids Fly Fare-FREE offer, allowing children aged 11 and under to travel without paying an airfare.
READ MORE
ICW Says Goodbye to the Home of Scottish Wrestling
ICW will bid farewell to the Asylum with emotional weekend of events next month.
READ MORE
One man show brings all the emotions to the Tron Theatre... as well as dogs!
Man's Best Friend brings Douglas Maxwell's award-winning combination of humour, emotion – and for the first time, dogs to the Tron Theatre!
READ MORE
Meatopia gives Glasgow a taste of what is to come and reveals full chef, and music, line up
Legendary fire-cooking festival Meatopia is coming to Scotland for the first time, taking over SWG3 Glasgow from 6th – 8th June.
READ MORE
Lorraine Kelly meets the Loch Ness Monster Milker delivering Nessie Nectar across the UK
IRN-BRU XTRA has launched a custom milk float delivery service bringing limited-edition Nessie Nectar straight from the shores of Loch Ness to doors across the UK.
READ MORE
Glasgow reports record breaking year for conference business
Glasgow's reputation as a leading national and international destination for conferences has been cemented by the latest statistics on the value of this important part of the city's economy.
READ MORE
Full casting announced for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, coming to Glasgow in June
The King's Theatre Glasgow are pleased to share full casting of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the publication of C.S. Lewis novel.
READ MORE
Safety and family time driving surge in adult swim lessons
Scottish adults are being encouraged to learn to swim this summer to boost water safety skills for the whole family.
READ MORE
Scottish TV Chef celebrates book launch with Glasgow pop up
Glasgow's cult fried chicken spot, Birds at Phillies of Shawlands, is proud to announce its first-ever collaboration and it's a special one.
READ MORE
Scottish rising star Brooke Combe announced as Lionel Richie tour support
Lionel Richie is proud to announce rising star Brooke Combe will be supporting him on the UK leg of his 'Say Hello To The Hits' tour, including at Glasgow's OVO Hydro.
READ MORE
New documentary tells the story of world record breaking Scottish brothers
A new documentary - now live on STV Player - tells the story of the Maclean Brothers and their self-confessed “piss poor” preparations the ocean adventure that lay ahead.
READ MORE
David Attenborough and Eurovision steal the spotlight at Vue venues in Scotland this month
Audiences are invited to travel the globe - both musically and visually - this May, as both David Attenborough and Eurovision head to the big screen at Vue venues across Scotland.
READ MORE
Olivier Award nominated star announced as part of cast of The Bodyguard
Award-winning smash hit musical The Bodyguard will star international leading lady Sidonie Smith as Rachel Marron and Olivier Award nominee Adam Garcia as Frank Farmer when it comes to Glasgow!
READ MORE
Charity Super.Mkt marks 1 year milestone with longest serving location in Glasgow
The 'department store for second-hand style', Charity Super.Mkt, in Buchanan Galleries is celebrating one year this May, proudly marking its longest-running store to date.
READ MORE
The Royal Yacht Britannia Exhibition and Retail Experience are shipshape and ready to welcome visitors
2025 marks the next chapter in The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust’s legacy with the opening of a brand-new, world-class visitor centre with exhibition and retail experience.
READ MORE
Comedy giants get The Last Laugh in new show coming to Glasgow following EdFringe and West End runs
The Last Laugh will arrive at Glasgow's Theatre Royal this summer following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
READ MORE
Pavilion Festival rounds off biggest event yet with Happy Mondays and STREETrave Classical
Pavilion Festival has rounded off its biggest ever event with over 16,000 music fans enjoying three days of non-stop live music and feel good vibes on Ayr’s iconic Low Green.
READ MORE
Cineworld announces first ever 4DX Family Day
For one day only, families can experience Moana, Paddington, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in immersive 4DX at all 34 Cineworld 4DX screens nationwide.
READ MORE
Daniel Casey to star as Inspector Barnaby in Scottish premiere of Midsomer Murders
Original cast member of Midsomer Murders, Daniel Casey, joins new stage adaptation making its Scottish premiere at the Theatre Royal Glasgow in February.
READ MORE
Strictly champ Ore Oduba joins Picture You Dead ahead of performances at the Theatre Royal Glasgow
See the bestselling DSI Roy Grace book by Peter James on stage for the first time at Glasgow's Theatre Royal from Tuesday 10th to Saturday 14th June.
READ MORE
Brand new show Something About Lennon opens UK tour this month with Scottish dates
Celebration of the iconic late Beatle's life and music will be performed at 26 venues nationwide.
READ MORE
Celebrate Fathers Day in Style with Dobbies Sunday Lunch and Planting Experience
This June, Dobbies Garden Centres is presenting a brand-new way to celebrate Father’s Day, combining a hearty Sunday roast with a hands-on grow-your-own herb planting workshop.
READ MORE
Blue Light Awards Scotland to honour emergency services heroes
Nominations for the Blue Light Awards Scotland, recognising the courage, commitment and community spirit of our Blue Light Services, are now open.
READ MORE
Funding awarded to seven projects for tree planting in cities and towns across Scotland
The Urban Forestry Programme is supporting projects in urban areas to help more people experience the benefits of trees.
READ MORE
Rory McIlroy Confirmed for Genesis Scottish Open
Newly-crowned Masters Tournament champion Rory McIlroy is set to compete for a second Genesis Scottish Open title!
READ MORE
Fat Hippo fans prepare for the ultimate CheezHIT
Roll up your sleeves and get stuck in as Cheez-It® and Fat Hippo announce the ultimate collaboration.
READ MORESponsored Links
Sponsored Links