A Premonition of the Future, 2011; used and new books, reclaimed timber;
dimensions variable.
Courtesy of Sorcha Dallas
Gary Rough’s solo show, ‘Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. …’ was developed
during a residency of five weeks in the galleries of Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow.
A Premonition of the Future, 2011 (detail); used and new books; reclaimed timber;
dimensions variable. Courtesy of Sorcha Dallas
In the first gallery, copies of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ sit on shelves, lining the upper
perimeter of the gallery. An installation of Rough’s ongoing attempt to acquire one
thousand, nine hundred and eighty-four copies of ‘1984’ that are either used or gifts,
the ominously titled work A Premonition of the Futurecarries with it the text’s dystopian
notions of censorship and suppressed freedom. On one hand, the described attempt
represents a feat of encountering and collecting the literal and symbolic meanings of
the text as it passes through the hands of others. Viewers are presented with a state
in-between that speaks of potential, and a sampling of book covers reflecting the
proliferation of the text across various publishing and distribution channels over time.
On the other hand, the sparseness of the installation and its out-of-reach display
alludes to a quest that cannot be attained, contrasting with the narrated ambition.
Top: Untitled, 2011; emulsion on wall; dimensions variable.
Bottom (Left to Right): Failed Pattern (Left), 2011; Failed Pattern (Wrong),
2011; Failed Pattern (Right), 2011. All drawings framed pen on paper; 63.4 x 50.8 x 3.5 cm.
Courtesy of Sorcha Dallas
The curious admixture of endeavor and futility is strongly apparent in the second gallery,
displaying three pen drawings from an ongoing Failed Pattern series where deliberate
errors are created that distort the regularity of harlequin patterns. These drawings are
distinguished through titles that play with the sense of both space and failure, and dialogue
with a lone pen drawing, Failed Pattern (Away from Here) that is hung in the office of
Sorcha Dallas as part of the exhibition. The exercise in creating intentional failed
patterns is paralleled along corners of the gallery walls that appear to be painted
at the same height of the shelves of A Premonition of the Future, creating a visual
continuation across both galleries. While the cumulative effect of the distortions in
the pen drawings creates curvatures and a slightly optical effect; the use of paint
for the patterns of the wall make room for the mistakes to be demonstrated through
drips and cracks, presenting a sense of beauty that arises from exercises in failure.
Top: Untitled, 2011; emulsion on wall; dimensions variable.
Bottom: Failed Pattern (Left), 2011; framed pen on paper; 63.4 x 50.8 x 3.5 cm.
Courtesy of Sorcha Dallas
Across both galleries, the installation and drawings compel one to think of the ways
that narratives and practices of effort and failure act as recurring patterns in the
rhythm of life one encounters on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. …
Born in Glasgow, Rough (b.1972) is now based in New York, and has presented
solo exhibitions atInverleith House, Edinburgh; PS. 1 MoMA, New York;
McCaffrey Fine Art, NY, and Yvon Lambert, Paris.
