From Wednesday 19 April until Monday 1 May 2006, GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL will host the city's Festival of Contemporary Visual Art. Attracting over 28,000 visitors from around the world, Scotland's cultural capital will showcase internationally significant contemporary visual art profiling some of the worlds most exciting and innovative artists.

The event has grown out of the existing infrastructure in the visual arts in Glasgow, and both celebrates and supports the continued growth and achievements of Glasgow's visual arts sector. The programme aims to reflect the position of Glasgow as a centre for production and exhibition of internationally significant visual art and brings to this context a range of work, much of which has either been specifically commissioned or brought to the UK for the first time for the Festival.

Under the curatorship of Francis McKee, GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL 2006 presents new work and commissions by over 140 Scottish and International artists and contributors within exhibitions, seminars, artists' talks and events, across 30 venues and spaces throughout the city.

Announcing details of the Festival, Francis McKee said:

?The first year of GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL was realised with the goodwill and support of the city's art community. Now in its second year, that goodwill has been sustained and it has become clear that the festival is being shaped by the city's unique arts infrastructure - the mix of grassroots organisations, small galleries, independent artists, the larger spaces and the city's rapidly changing urban landscape.
It is fitting, then, that this year's Festival reflects the work of artists based in the city as much as it highlights international work from abroad. Many exhibitions have been specifically commissioned for Glasgow International while others highlight works that are being shown for the first time in Scotland. ?As a curated Festival, this mixture of commissioning and selection is vital. These emerging years of Glasgow International have proven that there is a role for the Festival and as it grows, there is then a need for more time for research and for the commissioning of more ambitious exhibitions.
For these reasons, GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL will become a biennial event with the next Festival taking place in 2008. We are confident that extending the period of development will enable us to respond to the growth and momentum that Glasgow International is stimulating.'

Participating Artists

Artists will include: Jumana Emil Abboud. Pavel Acosta. David Adika. Fikret Atay. Darren Banks. Claire Barclay. David Batchelor. be+: Jude Barber & Uli Enslein. Becks Futures. Catherine Bertola. Karla Black. Blood ?n? Feathers: Jo Robertson & Lucy Stein. Pablo Bronstein. Stefan Br?ggemann. Cabin exchange. Cameron Webster Architects. Cath Campbell. Kevin Campbell. Rebecca Catterall. Simon Chadwick. Joe Clark. Marcus Coates. Anne-Marie Copestake. Jo Coupe. Will Daniels. Nicola Atkinson Davidson. Richard Deacon. Jennifer Douglas. Egob?rger. Tilo Einert. Pete Evans. Paul Finnegan. Flying Kite Club. Richard Forster. Douglas Fraser. Steven Gontarski. Alejandro Gonzalez. Henrik Hakansson. Mark Handforth. Siobhan Hapaska. Something Haptic. Iain Hetherington. Joe Hillier. Ashley Hipkin. Damien Hirst. Gun Holmstr?m. Shirazeh Houshiary. Richard Hughes. Lynn Hynd. Fiona Jardine. Sanna Kannisto. William Kentridge. Ferdinand Kriwet. Darren Lago. A. R. Lamb. Laura Lancaster. Michael Landy. Torsten Laushmann. Adrian Lear. Glenda Leon. Edward Lipski. Sarah Lucas. Ant Macari. Francis MacDonald. Neil McGuire. Fl?via M?ller Medeiros. Paul Merrick. Paul Moss. Mark Neville. Isabel Nolan. Open Eye Club. Daniel Padden. Seb Patane. Grayson Perry. Ciara Phillips. Chloe Piene. Olivia Plender. Simon Popper. Ginny Reed. Lili Reynaud-Dewar. Richard Rigg. Alasdair Roberts. Eva Rothschild. Gary Rough. Jonathan Scott. Robert Sharp. Jamie Shovlin. Ross Sinclair. Daniel Sinsel. Patti Smith. Ettie Spencer. Cecilia Stenbom. Kerry Stewart. Matt Stokes. Subcurrent. Miles Thurlow. Sue Tompkins. VAGA. Mark Wallinger. Sarah Walton. Leo Warner. Katy West. Miranda Whall. Rachel Whiteread. Bedwyr Williams. Lucy Wood. Dawn Youll
(Refer to www.glasgowinterntional.org for full programme)

Venues

There will be a number of participating venues throughout Glasgow including The Mitchell Library, Glasgow School of Art, The Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Glasgow Museum of Modern Art and The Tramway - smaller galleries and shop fronts will also take part.

Free Bus Tours

GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL Bus Tours in partnership with SPIN. Glasgow SPIN: GLASGOW launches during Glasgow International offering visitors four free bus tours to Glasgow International venues. SPIN: Glasgow is a partnership project with Glasgow City Council, National Galleries of Scotland and CAS (Contemporary Art Society). For bookings and further information: www.glasgowinternational.org

Festival Centre

Throughout GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL, the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) will act as the Festival Centre (including Press Office). Based in the heart of Glasgow's shopping and entertainment district, CCA is hosting a number of exhibitions and events and also offers visitors a central meeting and information point. Here visitors can relax in the caf? and receive information from staff at the welcome desk.
CCA is open Tuesday - Friday, (11am - 6pm)
Saturday (10am ? 6pm)
Sunday (12pm ? 6pm).
Please note that the Festival Centre will not be open on Mondays.
CCA information line: +44 (0) 141 352 4900.

Exhibitions

The Work of Patti Smith at The Mitchell Library

photograph by Gordon Comstock

Patti Smith is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential contributors to music and poetry in the last 40 years. Since the late 1960s she has made drawings, paintings and photographs that contain the lyrical characteristics of her poems and songs. The inspiration for Smith's artwork comes from a variety of autobiographical, artistic, historic, literary and spiritual sources including the 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud, British artist and visionary, William Blake and the friendship and guidance of Smith's late friend, artist and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
The exhibition, to be seen for the first time in the UK, will be shown at The Mitchell Library. It is curated by Ben Harman of the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow using selected works from Strange Messenger, a retrospective of Patti Smith's visual art organised by the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, USA in 2002.

REAL LIFE PAINTING SHOW ? ROSS SINCLAIR at CCA

Photograph by Alan Dimmick
Curated by Francis McKee, Ross Sinclair's first solo painting exhibition as part of Glasgow International at CCA will present a project he has been quietly developing for a couple of years called Real Life Painting Show. This series of paintings strips his work back to the most basic building blocks that help construct any creative practise, investigating the fundamental role of colour in the transformation of perception and meaning.

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE at THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART

South African artist William Kentridge tracks a personal route across the fraught legacy of apartheid and colonialism, through an innovative use of charcoal drawings, prints, collages, animation, and film. The exhibition will include 7 Fragments for Georges Melies (2003), a series of short films inspired by the early work of Bruce Nauman and the films of artist Georges Melies, as well as Tide Table (2003) which reintroduces the character Soho Ecstein. This will be Kentridge's first solo show in Britain since 2000. The exhibition has been made possible through The Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Sligo.

MARK HANDFORTH with THE MODERN INSTITUTE ? OFFSITE at NATIONALTRUST HUTCHESONS HALL

Miami based artist Mark Handforth utilises the everyday within his work, exploring the possibility that a single object can exist simultaneously on sculptural, functional, and social levels. Handforth's work resonates with both the materials and practices of minimalism and the sensibilities of street subcultures and roadside Americana, pairing handmade sculpture with appropriated everyday objects to disrupt the familiar. For Glasgow International, Handforth will produce a new site-specific large-scale sculpture.

KARLA BLACK at MARY MARY

Mary Mary presents work by Glasgow based artist Karla Black. This will be the first show based within the new gallery space at Dixon Street. Using a range of somewhat formless materials such as Vaseline, toiletries, card, tissue and polythene, and structural artistic elements like paint, wood and paper, Black works to create an object that is placed between gestural action and an attempt at beauty. The process-based sculptural pieces that form the basis of her practice are ephemeral and yet hold a strong physical presence. Relating to aspects of gender, psychoanalysis and psychology and created on site, these works often do not exist past their initial installation and act as a reconstitution of an action and expression. Using various fragments and products of mainstream culture.

MATERIAL WORLD ? SCULPTURES FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL COLLECTION

Artists: Edward Lipski, Sarah Lucas, Steven Gontarski, Siobhan Hapaska, Claire Barclay, David Batchelor, Lucy Wood, Damien Hirst, Shirazeh Houshiary, Grayson Perry, Kerry Stewart, Darren Lago, Michael Landy, Mark Wallinger, Rachel Whiteread, Richard Deacon and Paul Finnegan
GALLERY OF MODERN ART, (GoMA) The Arts Council, Hayward Gallery, South Bank Centre in London, holds over 7,400 outstanding modern and contemporary artworks by high profile British artists. GoMA had the unique opportunity to select works from this collection. These 17 sculptural works, most of which have not been seen in Scotland before, were chosen because of their visual interest and powerful physical presence. The artists have explored new methods of creating sculpture using a range of materials. Some of these artists are interested simply in exploring the materials, whilst others show both serious and humorous elements. This gallery's grand architecture and scale make it an ideal space to exhibit 3D works, allowing visitors to walk amongst the works seeing them from every angle. This unique exhibition marks both the 60th anniversary of the Arts Council and the 10th anniversary of GoMA.

The Festival is made possible as a result of the commitment and partnerships between the visual arts network and venues within the city and the funding partnerships between Glasgow City Council and EventScotland, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Glasgow: Scotland with style and in association with UZ Events.

CONTEMPORARY ART By Francis McKee Curator ? GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL - Festival of Contemporary Visual Art

Glasgow's contemporary art scene is recognised globally as one of the most exciting today. A combination of factors have helped create this situation and to reverse the traditional wisdom which suggested that success in the arts could only follow emigration to London.

The accelerated growth of global communications and the development of cheaper air travel have played a large part in this story. The international art world ceased to be a distant dream. Cities such as New York, Amsterdam, Paris, and Berlin were all within easy reach now and a generation of younger artists began to travel and meet their peers across the world, establishing new networks and inviting artists and curators back to Glasgow.

The post industrial landscape of the city was ideal for an emerging art scene. There was an openness to new ideas and a plentiful supply of buildings that could be transformed into temporary exhibition space, perfectly suited to an artworld reacting to the excesses of commodification in the 1980s. The raw energy of Glasgow, allied to its intimacy and friendliness, impressed artists and curators from abroad. There was a Do-It-Yourself spirit, a legacy of punk perhaps, that created an unstoppable momentum.

Given the benefits of cheaper air travel, Scottish artists were able to find success abroad and continue to live in Scotland. Glasgow School of Art ? itself a powerful generator of ideas ? quickly took advantage of this situation and employed these artists to teach on a part-time basis. Now students could rub shoulders with successful artists, barely older than themselves, who could pass on practical knowledge. At the same time their presence was proof that an international career was possible and could be accommodated in Scotland.

Some figurative painters in the 1980s had already achieved recognition such as Stephen Campbell, Peter Howson and John Byrne. In the early ?90s, however, recognition flooded in. Douglas Gordon won the prestigious Turner Prize in 1996 and in the following year Christine Borland was also nominated for the award. Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the artworld's best known curators, was moved to describe what he perceived as ?the Glasgow miracle'.

The miracle was sustained as the city invested in its arts infrastructure, and organisations such as CCA, Tramway and the small but highly influential Transmission Gallery provided platforms for a mixture of emerging artists and international stars. Evidence that the art scene continued to expand came in the guise of more awards ? Beck's Futures winners such as Roderick Buchanan, Toby Paterson and Rosalind Nashashibi, and in 2005 a Turner win by Simon Starling who just pipped another Glaswegian, Jim Lambie, to the prize.

Awards, though, are only a side effect of a burgeoning art scene, a recognition of something much larger and vital that cannot be encompassed by a prize. Glasgow is now in a positive feedback loop where the excitement of the ?90s arts scene has attracted students from around the world to the city's school of art. There they may enter a course such as the Masters of Fine Art for two years and concurrently engage with the local arts scene. Very often, those students will then remain in the city after they graduate, intensifying the momentum and contributing to what is now a cosmopolitan arts community whose numbers are far beyond the norm for a city of Glasgow's scale.

It is impossible to name all of the artists currently working here and gaining international recognition. Citing figures such as David Shrigley, Clare Barclay, Alex Pollard, Louise Hopkins, Joanne Tatham and Tom O?Sullivan, Richard Wright, Cathy Wilkes and Sue Tompkins only begins to scratch the surface of the activity in the city. Likewise the rise of semi-commercial galleries such The Modern Institute, Sorcha Dallas, and Mary Mary indicates a different kind of sophistication emerging from the grassroots spaces across the city as a whole. Since 2005, this energy has also begun to make itself felt in the creation of Glasgow International, a festival of contemporary visual art, which plans to become a biennial event after its 2006 programme. The festival now brings together all the key organisations across the spectrum of the city's art scene, presenting a unique event rooted in the achievements of the local community while drawing on the international networks linked to Glasgow. Feb 2006

Francis Mckee is Interim Director at CCA Glasgow, teaches on the MFA in Glasgow School of Art and is a researcher in the field of Open Source Software and Intellectual Property. He was co-curator of the Scottish exhibition at Venice Biennale in 2003 and has also published work on artists such as Simon Starling, Salla Tykka, Douglas Gordon, Christine Borland, Matthew Barney, Rosalind Nashashibi. Selections of his work are available on www.francismckee.com

Some Quotes

Francis McKee, Curator, Glasgow International 2006 said: ?The first year of Glasgow International was realised with the goodwill and support of the city's art community. Now in its second year, that goodwill has been sustained and it has become clear that the Festival is being shaped by the city's unique arts infrastructure ? the mix of grassroots organisations, small galleries, independent artists, the larger spaces and the city's rapidly changing urban landscape.

?It is fitting, then, that this year's Festival reflects the work of artists based in the city as much as it highlights international work from abroad. Many exhibitions have been specifically commissioned for Glasgow International while others highlight works that are being shown for the first time in Scotland.'

Barbara Absolon, International Events Programme Manager, EventScotland said: ?EventScotland is delighted to provide continued support to Glasgow International 2006. The Festival is an exciting opportunity for Scotland to once again demonstrate its flair and ability to stage world-class events and festivals. In its inaugural year Glasgow International proved itself as an international event with some 20% of visitors coming from outside Scotland. We are delighted with this year's programme and are confident that it will not only raise the profile of Glasgow as a significant centre for visual art whilst also attracting increased numbers of international visitors to the city.'

Councillor, Alex Mosson, Chairman, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau commented: ?Glasgow's contemporary art scene is one of the most vibrant in the world and Glasgow International provides the perfect opportunity to highlight it. The programme is both challenging and exciting and will undoubtedly reinforce our credentials as Glasgow: Scotland with style.'

A spokesperson from the Scottish Arts Council stated: ?The Scottish Arts Council is delighted to support Glasgow International which gives Scottish audiences the opportunity to experience some of the most exciting work in contemporary visual art and connect with Glasgow's vibrant visual arts scene. It also offers an opportunity for some of Scotland's internationally significant visual artists to be celebrated in their home country.'

Lorraine Wilson, Visual Art Programmer, Tramway commented: ?Tramway's reputation is founded on bringing quality international visual art to Glasgow and Scotland and supporting emerging artists within the city, and a project for GI is now a key part of our annual visual art programme. GI reminds all of us who work with contemporary art in Glasgow that we are part of something uniquely exciting locally, which is, in turn, internationally resonant.'

Mairi Bell, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow's Tourism Manager said ?Glasgow is the fastest growing short break destination it he UK and the quality of its art scene and galleries plays a major part in its appeal. This Festival can only strengthen the overall quality of the product we are offering.'

FREE ASSOCIATION

A new publication marking the second GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL, available to buy at various venues throughout the festival. Celebrating the local connections and international links Scotland (and primarily Glasgow) has made in visual arts activity in the last two decades, the publication asks questions on the function of creative activity in the present, charting new directions of artistic endeavour and uncovering cutting edge lineages to the current condition. For more information, please visit www.glasgowinternational.org

EGOB?RGER

Egob?rger is a quarterly online magazine. The first Issue (Winter 2005/6) was launched in December 2005. It included Artworks, Music and Videos from Scottish and International contributors. The 2006 spring Issue, commissioned by second GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL , and entitled, The Bride Was Ugly will focus on Culture and Commerce in Glasgow and beyond. www.egoburger.com

CURATING CONTEXT ? VAGA

A curatorial development and networking event for professionals working across visual arts practice and disciplines, ?curating context' will learn from recent presentations of contemporary visual art. Targeted at artist/gallery curators, museum curators, exhibition makers, project managers. Further details from: [email protected]. An event organised by VAGA, Visual Arts and Galleries Association, with support from Scottish Arts Council.

For further information about the festival:
www.glasgowinternational.org
Festival Centre: CCA information line: +44 (0) 141 352 4900.