A CONTEMPORARY art space attracted record crowds as it celebrated its 25th year, figures show.
Almost 343,400 people visited the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow during 2017-18.
READ MORE: Unique tribute for Glasgow graduate artist Jenny Saville
The Sauchiehall Street venue has hosted visual art, film, performance, festivals and literature since 1992.
Last year highlights included The Sky is Falling, an exhibition featuring work related to cities by the UK’s Black Audio Film Collective, Colombian artist Dora Mejía and Edinburgh-born painter Carol Rhodes.
Other topics explored by shows, workshops and talks include migration, the role of the artist and more. Audiences have taken in sound pieces and comic strips amongst other things.
Overall, the centre welcomed almost 270 partners across 1,160 events and nearly 30 festivals. These include Document Human Rights Film Festival, Rumman Festival, which highlights Iraqi culture, and underground music event Counterflows. The CCA said many of these “may not otherwise happen” without access to its space.
Meanwhile, the landmark year saw the venue and its staff secure a clutch of awards and nominations, including the Arts & Culture Award at The Herald Inspiring City Awards and Unique Venue of the Year title at the Scottish Event Awards.
This year’s activities include a screening of cult Turkish Star Wars remake Dünyay? Kurtaran Adam, which takes place tomorrow, and an exhibition centred around a visual model that transforms a decommissioned North Sea oil rig into a new “transnational” parliament involving EU organisations.
The summer show, by artist Jonas Staal, follows two years of work on issues around independence and the country’s relationship with the EU. It will see political parties and other groups invited to take part and proposes uses for the “almost utopian” space.
Earlier works from Staal’s artistic and political New Unions campaign, including alternative maps and flags of a future EU to drawings and studies of alternative parliaments,will also be shown.
Reflecting on the success of the anniversary year, director Francis McKee said: “I’d like to extend my thanks to all programme partners, cultural tenants, audience members, artists, staff and supporters of CCA, as well as to our core funders – Creative Scotland, Glasgow City Council and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. We share our venue, awards and achievements with everyone who participates in, presents and supports our programme.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here