A MAJOR art exhibition inspired by the life and work of Robert Burns will be unveiled today.
Some of the biggest names in contemporary art were commissioned to create pieces for the Inspired exhibition, including Tracy Emin, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Ken Curry, John Bellany and Peter Howson.
The show – which has been two years in the maki
ng – opens at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow today and contains Burns-inspired works, the majority of which have never been seen before.
Controversial conceptual artists, brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman, have created a Royal Bank of Scotland £50 note which has had the image of its first governor, Lord Ilay, altered to look like the burger mascot Ronald MacDonald. The piece refers to a poem written by Burns on the back of a guinea note decrying capitalism.
Tracey Emin submitted Sweet Thing, a print depicting a bird perched on a crudely drawn penis, taking the poet's erotic poem Nine Inch Will Please a Lady as its inspiration.
Sheilagh Tennant, curator of Inspired said the artists had an open commission to create work around their response to Burns.
"I didn't impose (a theme] on them. Most knew him and had been touched by him, so they all had an idea in their head. Some went and read about him then took their starting point from there.
"I think people will be surprised by this exhibition. It can open minds and allow you to see something that can't be conveyed in any other way."
Scots artists Ken Currie, Peter Howson and John Bellany all show relatively orthodox pieces: Howson's work consists of portraits of Burns, while Bellany depicts scenes from two of his most famous works, Tam O'Shanter and Holy Willie's Prayer.
Ken Currie's A Man is a Man portrays the face of a dead black adolescent being touched by the hand of a white adult male, alluding to Burns's plans, never realised to become a plantation manager in Jamaica
Among the more unusual interpretations is a piece by photo-artist Alison Jackson of a David Beckham look-alike sitting on a toilet wearing a kilt and reading The Scotsman.
One of the most striking pieces is a video installation by Israeli artist Itamar Jobani entitled Nightly Encounters, which consists of the figure of a ploughman constructed of plywood gazing into a pool. The figure holds a camera in his hands, which beams an image of passing visitors into the pool.
According to the artist, the piece – which took five months to complete – reflects Burns's ability to transform mundane events into magical ones. He explained: "The installation is inspired by the night-time theme of Robert Burns's poem Tam O'Shanter. In this poem, I was stunned by the powerful graphic images and by Burns's ability to lift an everyday accident to a colourful scene.
"In Nightly Encounter I'm trying to recreate this magical transformation that I found in Burns's writing."
Bailie Liz Cameron, chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow said: "The new works in the exhibition give us an insight into how the Bard and his works are still relevant today."
Inspired runs until 20 September.
WHAT'S NEXT
COINCIDING with the Scottish Government's Homecoming campaign, there are events and performances throughout the year marking the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth.
They include The Spirit of Burns, an exhibition examining his contribution to Scottish culture, and I Am Ever Yours, Robert Burns, a display of his correspondence.
The full article contains 590 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
