Stopgap exhibition struggles to show artists in best light

The Times | Tuesday December 3 2024

Benno Schotz and A Scots Miscellany
Royal Scottish Academy
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This mixed exhibition of 12 artists takes nationality as its curatorial premise. All the academicians featured were born outside Scotland but chose to make the country their home. Unfortunately, as a concept, this feels rather tired, especially given the cosmopolitan nature of today's international art world

The leading figure is Benno Schotz and the show is the result of a bequest in 2020. Schotz was born in Estonia in 1891 but emigrated to Scotland in

1912, where he worked at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank while studying at the Glasgow School of Art, where he would eventually become head of sculpture in 1938.

He was and remains a pivotal figure in Scottish art history, and his contributions to the Royal Scottish Academy are significant.

The exhibition includes a 1973 film documenting his working process.

Latterly, Schotz had a particular fascination with natural forms.

Unfortunately the curators have not dedicated an entire exhibition to his memory, as was done in 1971 in the same location. Such a retrospective, with a plethora of new material, would be well worth undertaking.

Other notable artists in the show include Beth Fisher, Jacki Parry, Leena Nammari, Ilana Halperin and Thomas Joshua Cooper.

Individually, their works are of a high calibre, and it's gratifying to see them presented together. However, this does not necessarily make for a cohesive exhibition.

The central premise is weak, and the limited space means that no single artist's work is explored in depth. The artists have very different perspectives on what art is and how it functions. While this diversity is intriguing, it creates a sense of disjointedness. Viewers may feel as though they are rapidly switching between unrelated visions.

The relationships between the works in the show often feel awkward, with moments of jarring dissonance. To put it bluntly, this feels like a stopgap — a "potboiler" exhibition where unused space in the academy has been filled with works drawn from its extensive collection.

These artists deserve a more thoughtful presentation, and the public deserves a more detailed exploration of their contributions.

The RSA's financial constraints, as an organisation that receives no state funding, are well known. Its effort to maintain a rolling programme of exhibitions throughout the year is commendable. Nevertheless, this exhibition feels under-resourced and lacking in ambition.

Until January 19