Art: New Exhibition marks satirist George Wyllie’s centenary

George Wyllie was renowned for his often times subversive, satirical and surreal art.

There is the Clyde Clock – depicting a clock running on legs outside Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow, Monument To Maternity – a giant nappy pin on the site of the former Rottenrow Maternity Hospital, and even bigger artworks, such as Straw Locomotive – a full-size locomotive made from straw that hung from the Finnieston Crane for several months, and the 80ft Paper Boat, which was displayed on the Hudson River in New York.

To mark the centenary of his birth, the Society of Scottish Artists’ annual exhibition will showcase a selection of Wyllie’s work which reflects his time as SSA president from 1986 to 1989.

In 1988, in recognition of the connection between Glasgow and Berlin as European cities of culture, Wyllie was commissioned to produce the Glasgow Berlin Spire to be placed at the Reichstag.

He also created The Berlin Burd sited at the Berlin Wall in Reinickendorf. On show at this year’s SSA Annual will be a portable version of the original spire, which travelled with Wyllie, including his paper boat voyage to New York, alongside other artworks and materials from the archive.

The exhibition, running from until November 27 at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, will also showcase work from around 150 artists and designers. The work was selected following a series of open calls to members, attracting more than 1,500 worldwide entries.

Works are as varied and diverse as a series of clay death tokens reflecting the University of Edinburgh collection of more than 1,500 human skulls, vibrant symbolic tapestries inspired by the mental challenges of lockdown, stitched stimming hand sculptures and a modern Madonna and child coated in silver leaf.

As well as emerging talents, the exhibition will feature the work of artists including Mary Morrison, Charlotte Roseberry, Rachel Duckhouse and Louise Barrington.

A number of students from the five main Scottish art schools were also invited to exhibit, showcasing the work of graduates selected from the classes of 2020 and 2021, providing an important opportunity for those who haven’t been able to share their work in person due to the covid pandemic.