Outset Scotland supported the commission of new work by Nicolas Deshayes for his first solo exhibition in Scotland: ‘Darling, Gutter‘ at Glasgow Sculpture Studios.
Nicolas Deshayes, Darling, Gutter, 2015 (Jesmonite, plastic, brass, steel and hot water)
Deshayes is known for experimenting with industrial production processes in his studio practice. In so doing, he imbues mechanical manufacturing methods with a decidedly human touch, leaving room for error and mess in mass-produced materials. This way of working resulted in one of Glasgow Sculpture Studios most ambitious commissions so far, ‘Darling, Gutter’, which was painstakingly produced on-site by the artist and the GSS technical team.
For this exhibition, Deshayes made a series of expandable polyurethane foam forms and cast them in solid Jesmonite, with copper piping implanted in them. These six sculptures were then plumbed into the heating system at GSS. Whilst the sculptures functioned as custom-made radiators, the original pipework of the boiler system became sculpture too.
The circuit between the sculptures, building and central boiler could be seen as similar to the human body, in which individual organs are linked to the body’s central nervous system. All the elements in the gallery were connected. In fact, Deshayes referred to this exhibition as ‘an anatomy for the space’ – an aspect that was heightened by the unexpectedly fleshy appearance of the warm Jesmonite.
ON VIEW: 26th September – 12th December 2015
Nicolas Deshayes was born in France (1983). He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2009 and Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2005, and currently lives and works in London. Recent solo exhibitions include Becoming Soil, Jonathan Viner, London (2015) and Crude Oil, S1 Artspce, Sheffield (2013). In 2015, he participated in group exhibitions at Tate St Ives, Fridericianum, Kassel and Elizabeth Dee, New York. He was included in British Art Show 8, which opened at Leeds Art Gallery on 9th October 2015 and toured Edinburgh, Norwich and Southampton in 2016.
Glasgow Sculpture Studios is a centre for the research, production, presentation and dissemination of contemorary sculptural practices. It forms a national infrastructure along with the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Lumsden to support sculptural practice throughout Scotland. GSS provides for over 120 artist members by offering studio and production facilities, alongside staff expertise, with the aim of fostering a vibrant community of professional artists. In parallel to this, GSS enhances the public’s understanding and awareness of contemporary sculptural practice, both nationally and internationlly, through a range of public programmes, including commissions, residencies, exhibitions, and education and intepretation projects.
