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 edinburgh art festival
The Turner nominee confesses.
 nathan coleyimage gallery Nathan Coley's current show at Doggerfisher is a measured exercise in calculated reserve. This rising star of the Scottish art scene, shortlisted for this year's Turner Prize, confronts the viewer with a proposition of certainties undermined. Dividing the square-ish space is Untitled (Barricade Structure), a flimsy barrier running at right angles to the gallery wall it unmistakably resembles. The myth of the White Cube's autonomy becomes another icon for Coley to explode or construct, while the structure also contextualises the real gem of the show - the Annihilated Confessions. These are framed black-and-white photographs of Fellini-like ornate confessional booths, their image obliterated by a rough veil of spray-paint applied to the glass. The brutality conferred by this single gesture and its pared down presentation is superbly poised. The confidence of Annihilated Confessions is formidable; resolved, coherent, and devastatingly understated, showing Coley on familiar ground and at his very best. Ruth Barker Nathan Coley is at Doggerfisher, Edinburgh, until 15 September 07. At the breakfast table.  rachel whitereadimage gallery The third in a year-long series of short-term shows curated by the Ingleby Gallery in celebration of its tenth anniversary year, this display - in accordance with the theme of the series - marries the work of a notable modern artist (Rachel Whiteread) with a related found object (in this case, the breakfast table of the Scots' poet Robert Burns). An idea of permanence runs through the conversation established between each item, as does a consideration of the fragility of man's monuments. Burns' old wooden table, weighed down by history, seems fragile and weak, yet it endures after centuries. Whiteread's Cushion - an interior plaster mould of a cardboard box set atop a metal chair frame - seems much sturdier than its name suggests, yet certainly not immune to heavy treatment. These, and two delicate framed collages of domestic interiors by Whiteread, form a minimal, tranquil exhibition of items held secure by their worth, rather than their physical robustness. David Pollock Rachel Whiteread & Robert Burns' Breakfast Table is at Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, until 09 August 07. A slow build.  alex hartleyimage gallery Alex Hartley uses his first major solo exhibition to present his ongoing exploration of built environments. If that sounds a little dull, well, it is – a little; but what Hartley lacks in controversial subject matter, he more than makes up for with a rigorous approach and a curiosity that spans a variety of perspectives. As a climber, Hartley approaches buildings with an eye for the external façade, and much of his work revels in the specialisation of that focus. The most absorbing works in the show are Hartley's sculptural pieces, in which he contains the liminal point between our exclusion and subsumption by the work. Transforming high contrast photographs of interiors by presenting them in frosted glass cases, he suggests strangely inviting spaces of potential that evade clear definition. Hartley's work succeeds when it steps away from his literal experience to insinuate the strange allegorical suggestions of his incisive and critical mind. Ruth Barker Alex Hartley is at The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until 21 October 07.  conversations
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related info
 useful linkswww.annuale.org www.doggerfisher.com www.inglebygallery.com www.fruitmarket.co.uk
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see also
 edinburgh art fest 06 part one edinburgh art fest 06 part two rachel whiteread reviewbooks  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. games  games archive Gaming features and weekly columns from 2002 to 2008. |
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