A NEW exhibition is exploring how years of austerity and the global pandemic have affected people in Glasgow communities.
On show at The Hunterian, Assembly was created by acclaimed filmmaker Margaret Salmon alongside residents of Kelvinside and Maryhill.
The exhibition includes a film, photographs and sculptures in an installation that will expand over time, inviting local audiences to return to the Hunterian’s galleries as materials shift and evolve.
Salmon has also worked closely with G20 director Emily Cutts on the development of the exhibition and the new film. G20 is a Glasgow-based initiative focused on providing safe spaces, arts access and opportunities for young people who have experienced trauma. The community ethos of G20 is central to the whole project and G20 participants are directly involved in the exhibition.
Dominic Paterson, curator of contemporary art at The Hunterian, said Salmon’s work combined “a commitment to artistic experimentation with a concern for socially and politically important themes”.
“The Hunterian is delighted to be able to support the Assembly project, which brings Salmon’s lens to bear on topics close to home for the artist in the Glasgow community she is a part of, and within her own lived experience,” said Paterson.
“Assembly will share the process of making an ambitious film work, with our audiences in real time, gathering new material from Salmon’s work with local community participants into the various elements of the exhibition as it proceeds – literally assembling the participants and the resulting works over the exhibition’s duration.
“Through film, photography and installation, Assembly will consider how individuals and communities find resilience in the face of economic and social inequality.
“At the same time, it will respond to the practical challenges of making film with limited budgets through DIY methods and collaborative practices.”
As well as G20, key collaborators on the exhibition include Amma Birth Companions, Tracyanne Campbell and Donna Maciocia of Camera Obscura, and Sacred Paws.
Salmon’s previous films have tackled subjects ranging from motherhood to the natural world, feminist economics and the intimacy between couples.
Born in New York, but now living and working in Glasgow, her art has been featured in film festivals and major international survey exhibitions including Yokohama Triennale, the British Art Show, Glasgow International, Berlin Biennale, Venice Biennale, London Film Festival and Open City Documentary Festival.
Solo exhibitions of Salmon’s work have been held in the US and the Netherlands as well as London and Glasgow.
Assembly runs until October 19.
