In our first event for 2017, we will be exploring the work of Karla Black (born in 1972, Alexandria, Scotland) and Kishio Suga (born in 1944, Morioka, Japan).
This is the first time that these two artists have been shown together, and neither artist was aware of each other’s work before the exhibition. What unites both Black and Suga is their use of everyday materials to create sculptural installations in response to specific spaces and locations.
Karla Black, who represented Scotland at the Venice Biennale in 2011, creates installations using traditional art materials including plaster, paint, paper and chalk in combination with everyday items including soap, eye shadow, toothpaste and cotton wool. She made most of the sculptures directly in the rooms of the gallery.
Kishio Suga is a key figure in Japanese contemporary art. In the late 1960s, he began to produce and exhibit his work as a member of the artistic group, Mona-ha (School of Things) which was formed and developed in Tokyo between 1969 and 1972. Suga also uses everyday materials including rocks, wood, wire, paraffin, stones, almost anything to hand, to create what he calls ‘situations’. The exhibition features recreations of existing works spanning his 50-year career and a new work conceived for Gallery 8. Suga represented Japan in 1978 at the Venice Biennale.
