Rachel Maclean (artist)
Rachel Maclean (born 1987) is a Scottish visual artist and filmmaker. She lives and works in Glasgow.[1] Her films have shown widely in galleries, museums, film festivals, and on television. She has screened work at numerous festivals in the UK and internationally, such as Rotterdam International, Fantasia and BFI London Film Festival. She has received significant acclaim with solo shows at Tate Britain and The National Gallery, London, and she represented Scotland at the 2017 Venice Biennale with her film Spite Your Face. Her work A Whole New World (2014) won the prestigious Margaret Tate Award in 2013. She has twice been shortlisted for the Jarman Award, and achieved widespread critical praise for Feed Me at the British Art Show in 2016.
Early life and education
[edit]Maclean was born in Edinburgh.[2]
She has a BA in Drawing and Painting from Edinburgh College of Art.[3]
Maclean is currently a NUAcT Fellow at Newcastle University
Work
[edit]Maclean produces elaborate films and digital prints using extravagant costume, over-the-top make-up, green screen vfx and electronic soundtracks. Using film and photography, she creates outlandish characters and fantasy worlds which she uses to delve into politics, society and identity.[4] Wearing colourful costumes and make-up, until recently Maclean took on every role in her films herself. She uses computer technology to generate her locations, and borrows audio from television and cinema to construct narratives with a comedic touch.[5]
Maclean's artwork is both seductive and disturbing, it sucks the viewer into oversaturated candy coloured worlds and repels them with unsettling themes and narratives. She explores issues of identity, class, nationalism and gender, whilst referencing narrative structures from pop culture and fairy-tales.[6]
Exhibitions
[edit]Maclean has had solo exhibitions at Kunsthalle Giessen, Germany (2024), Kunstpalais Erlangen, Germany (2023), Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh (2021), Arsenal Contemporary, New York (2019), The National Gallery, London (2019), National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2018), KWM Arts Centre, Beijing (2018), Dublin City Art Gallery, Ireland (2018), Tate Britain, London (2017), HOME, Manchester (2016), Edinburgh Printmakers (2013), Collective Gallery, Edinburgh (2013), Trade Gallery, Nottingham (2013) and Generator Projects, Dundee (2012).[7][8]
Her work has also been shown at the State Museum of Urban Sculpture, St Petersburg, Russia, Kunstarkaden, Munich, Germany, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Germany, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh.[9]
Maclean exhibited in British Art Show 8 with Feed Me.[10][11]
Maclean was selected to represent Scotland in Venice at the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, 2017.[12][13] This solo presentation of new work centred on a major new film commission.[14] The presentation is commissioned and curated by Alchemy Film & Arts[15] in partnership with Talbot Rice Gallery and the University of Edinburgh.[13]
Film Screenings
[edit]Maclean's films have screened widely at numerous international film festivals including BFI London Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Tampere Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, Minikino Film Week, Ars Electronica, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, MotelX Lisbon International Horror Film Festival, Mecal Pro International Short Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Kurzfilm Hamburg, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Lo Schermo dell'arte, Glasgow Short Film Festival, and Uppsala International Film Festival, among others.
Awards
[edit]In 2013, Maclean received the Margaret Tait Award for her contribution to Glasgow Film Festival and was twice shortlisted for the Film London Jarman Award.[16]
Maclean's film DUCK (2024) received an award at the prestigious Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria.
Make Me Up (2018) won the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI)
References
[edit]- ^ "GENERATION: Rachel Maclean". BBC Arts. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Ferguson, Brian (4 October 2018). "Interview: Artist Rachel Maclean on her sinister new film exploring how much freedom 21st century women really have". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Five minutes on Rachel MacLean". TATE. 5 December 2016.
- ^ Ruiz, Cristina (6 October 2018). "Rachel Maclean: satire for the age of Snapchat". Financial Times.
- ^ Kelly, Brian P. (15 September 2018). "'I Was Raised on the Internet' Review: Binary Reactions to the Digital World". WSJ. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Rachel Maclean". Kunsthalle Kiel (in English and German). 14 February – 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Rachel Maclean at the Benaki Museum | British Council Greece". www.britishcouncil.gr. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Palumbo, Jacqui (24 June 2019). "Six Women Artists Furthering Cindy Sherman's Pioneering Vision". Artsy. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Theatre, Glasgow Film (10 December 2019). "Previous Winners - Margaret Tait Award". Glasgow Film Theatre. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "British Art Show 8". British Art Show 8.
- ^ Judah, Hettie (9 October 2015). "The British Art show: Testing the limits of exhibition boundaries". The Independent.
- ^ Miller, Phil (11 May 2016). "Meet Rachel Maclean: The candy-coloured nightmare world of artist to represent Scotland at Venice 2017".
- ^ a b Greenberger, Alex (10 May 2016). "Rachel Maclean will represent Scotland at the 2017 Venice Biennale". Art News.
- ^ "Rachel Maclean / Spite Your Face | Talbot Rice Gallery". www.trg.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "RACHEL MACLEAN SELECTED TO REPRESENT SCOTLAND AT VENICE BIENNALE 2017". 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Rachel Maclean wins Margaret Tait Award - a-n The Artists Information Company". 17 May 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
External links
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