Martin Boyce to present solo show for Scottish presentation at the Venice Biennale

Martin Boyce to present solo show for Scottish presentation at the Venice Biennale

Visual artist Martin Boyce has been selected to represent Scotland at the 2009 Venice Biennale – the world’s largest and most prestigious international showcase for contemporary visual arts.

This will be the fourth Scottish presentation at Venice by the Scottish Arts Council with partners the National Galleries of Scotland and the British Council in Scotland and will build on the critical success of previous projects which have promoted artists including Turner Prize winner Simon Starling and current Turner Prize nominee Cathy Wilkes.

The presentation is curated by Dundee Contemporary Arts and is the first solo show to be presented. 

Martin Boyce’s work relates to and transforms the space around it creating atmospheric, sculptural art inspired by modernist design history. His work has been exhibited across the world and is currently exhibiting at the Sculpture Center in New York.  An installation ‘Our love is like the earth, the sun, the trees and the birth’ (2002) is on show at the Gallery of Modern Art in his home town of Glasgow.

Our Love is like the earth, the sun, the trees and the birth (2002)

Commenting on his appointment Martin Boyce said: 

'It is a very exciting situation to be invited to represent Scotland for the Venice Biennale. The Biennale is one of the biggest and most important art events and has an incredible history. I am delighted to be selected and to begin working on a project that will be seen, by masses of people from every part of the world.'

'The Venice Biennale is legendary, my favourite artists in the world have all shown there, and so to be part of that history is a great honour for me. My intention now is to clear the decks and focus on making a great project for the Scottish Pavilion in Venice.'

The presentation will be curated by Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) with support from the National Galleries of Scotland. Boyce will develop work specifically for the presentation in Venice and he has already undertaken a visit to Venice to identify sites/ locations together with the DCA curatorial team of Judith Winter, Depute Director/Head of Arts Programme and Graham Domke, Exhibitions Curator.

Discussing their selection the curators stated:

'Artists are at the heart of DCA and as a production based venue we have considered curatorial approaches to the Biennale since 2003.  We began with the premise of developing a curatorial approach that evolves through direct collaboration between artist, curators and context.  We have also been considering ways to work with Martin Boyce and felt that his approach to transforming gallery or specific locations to create an interface between design, architecture and daily life would work for both Venice and in relationship to DCA.'

Following the Venice presentation the work will return to Scotland in December 2009 to be presented at a special exhibition at Dundee Contemporary Arts marking the culmination of the 10th anniversary year.

Jim Tough, Acting Chief Executive from Scottish Arts Council said:

‘Scotland is increasingly concerned with its role as a creative nation with high artistic ambitions in an international context.  The Venice Biennale is a significant showcasing opportunity for the visual arts and we are delighted to be commissioning Martin Boyce for Scotland and Venice 2009.   It is a pleasure to be working again with our partners in the National Galleries of Scotland and British Council and we look forward to forging a new relationship with the team at DCA who, with Martin, have the experience and imagination to bring forward a truly exciting project.’

Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said:

'The visual arts are a powerful part of our cultural landscape and Martin Boyce’s presence at the Venice International Art Exhibition demonstrates the range of artistic excellence that exists in Scotland.  The Biennale is a fantastic platform and I am sure the international audiences will be delighted by this exhibition, sparking a wider interest in our acclaimed arts scene.'

Simon Groom, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland said:

'The National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to be working with the Scottish Arts Council, the British Council and DCA. The partnership signals a new and innovative way of working that builds upon existing experience, whilst allowing us the opportunity to draw upon the strengths across the visual arts community within Scotland, to present an ambitious programme on the world’s most visible and influential international platform for contemporary art.'

Roy Cross Director British Council Scotland said:

‘Scotland pioneers in the visual arts and we are delighted to be involved in the opportunity to showcase its achievements on an international scale.’

Biographies

Martin Boyce
Hamilton-born Boyce studied at both Glasgow School of Art and California Institute for the Arts, Los Angeles. His work has been exhibited widely across the world including solo exhibitions at Museum für Moderne Kunst (Frankfurt, 2002); Tate Britain (London, 2006); and the Centre Art Contemporain (Geneva, 2007). His work is currently being exhibited at the Sculpture Center in New York in a two-person exhibition with Ugo Rondinone titled We Burn, We Shiver  http://www.sculpture-center.org/  For more info visit  http://www.themoderninstitute.com/artists/m_boyce/index.php

Dundee Contemporary Arts Curatorial Team
Judith Winter joined DCA as Depute Director/Head of Arts Programme in 2007 having previously worked as a curator of exhibitions and collection at mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art where she co-curated the exhibitions DRAW, Bauhaus 1919-1933 and Language of Vision. Over the last 18 years she has worked with emerging and established artists from Riverside Studios and the Lisson Gallery in London in the North East of England where she worked as Deputy Director for Cleveland Arts (focusing on regeneration and development of public art) and co-directed the Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland. Judith has also been a senior lecturer in Art and Design History at the University of Kingston.

Graham Domke joined DCA in November 2007 as Exhibitions Curator having formerly held the position of Gallery and Exhibitions Manager at Inverleith House, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Graham was also Talks Curator for the Edinburgh Art Festival in 2006 and 2007. He has worked in the last decade as an independent curator and writer. Domke has recently curated the acclaimed exhibition Altered States of Paint for DCA which featured influential international artists showing in Scotland for the first time alongside emerging Scottish talent.

Notes to editors

NOTES TO EDS

1.The Venice Biennale is recognised as one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international showcases for contemporary visual art, enabling country representatives to present an exhibition or pavilion dedicated solely to the work of their chosen artist(s). 76 countries participated in this five-month event in 2007. Between 10 June and 17 October 2007 the Venice Biennale received over 230,000 visitors.

2.Previous Scottish presentations included Zenomap in 2003 ( http://www.zenomap.org/ ), Selective Memory in 2005 and Scotland and Venice in 2007 ( http://www.scotlandandvenicebiennale.com/ ) . Artists presented have included: Cathy Wilkes, Alex Pollard, Lucy Skear, Charles Avery, Jim Lambie and Simon Starling. Full details of previous presentations can be found on web links above.

3. In addition, an exhibition at the Pier Arts Centre in Orkney this autumn offers visitors a flavour of the first three Scottish presentations at Venice with work by Simon Starling (2003) Cathy Wilkes (2005) and Charles Avery (2007). The exhibition ‘Venice & Scotland – 2003, 2005, 2007’ will be on show at the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney 20 September – 8 November 2008

4.The Scottish Arts Council is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) which was established by Royal Charter in 1994 and is also a Lottery distributor. The organisation serves the people of Scotland by fostering arts of excellence through investment, development, research and advocacy. Our corporate aims are: to support artists to fulfil their creative and business potential; to increase participation in the arts; and to place the arts, culture and creativity at the heart of learning. We invest £60m each year, including £15 million of National Lottery funding. For more information visit: www.scottisharts.org.uk/

Contact email(s)

media.office@scottisharts.org.uk

Issued by: Scottish Arts Council