Martin Craig, art curator
AS Curator of Art Post-1945 for Glasgow Museums, I'm based at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). It is a diverse and exciting job given the city's emphasis on contemporary art. At GoMA, we have a programme of events and three or four exhibitions each year. Alongside that, my role involves looking after the collection and acquiring new works.
I enjoy getting to speak with artists in the city as well as those nationally and internationally. Originally, when GoMA opened in 1996, it was a permanent collection and that attracted some controversy. But over the years different curators have come in and started to change that, with a big focus on collecting and supporting Glasgow and Scottish-based artists.
When you bring a work into the collection it is entered into the record book. Things are still very traditional in that sense with each entry hand-written in permanent ink. I remember feeling nervous the first time I had to write in one of these fantastic books but also very proud about playing my part to bring in a piece for people to enjoy in years to come.
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The first one I entered into the records was a public commission, Along The Way/Come What May, by the American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. That is on the steps of GoMA and is a work which is quite subtle – some people notice it, some people don't. There are not many cities in the world that have a public Lawrence Weiner work, so it is special.
Another I was involved in bringing into the collection was Douglas Gordon's "Pretty much every film and video work from 1992 until now". That is a sculpture in its own right with more than 100 old-school TVs – almost like a hive mind of the artist and a record of his work. As Gordon makes more videos throughout his career, those get added into it and the sculpture grows and evolves. It feels right that it is in the city where he was born.
GoMA is the busiest contemporary gallery outside London in terms of footfall. Our audience is diverse which is amazing for a contemporary art gallery. We have school groups that come through and often it is the first time that young people will have ever seen a piece of contemporary art. Glasgow has a massive contemporary art audience within the city as well as people who travel internationally to see the collection.
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A recent acquisition was the works of American artist Hal Fischer which came into the collection last year. There are three works, each consisting of multiple photographs, the most famous of which is Gay Semiotics. It is 24 images from when Fischer was working as a photographer in San Francisco during the 1970s and captures that peak time of gay liberation before the Aids epidemic. GoMA is the first UK and European institution to own all three of his works.
The Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, is open seven days. Entry is free. Hal Fischer is on show until May 31. Visit glasgowmuseums.com
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