SWG3 Arts

Thanks to everyone who came down to the opening night of What A Load O’ Rubbish’s new exhibition Fly Tip Road Trip last week.

Having previously graced unconventional venues such as a café and a climbing centre in the Highlands, each time tailoring its artworks to reflect the spirit of the location, the exhibition now makes its urban debut at SWG3, to spotlight the city's own environmental challenges.

The exhibition runs in the Zinc Bar at SWG3 until Friday 1 November from 8am till 6pm (Monday to Friday), so be sure to come down and check it out.

📸 Lucy Cheyne

Thanks so much to everyone who came to the launch of Smalltown Boy this past Friday. We're so pleased to see these works come together in the space – and we hope you enjoyed the dancing just as much.

If you missed the opening, you can still see these works by Csian Canave, Barney Ashton Bullock, James Horan, Steve Rapport, and Charles Jeffrey in SWG3 Zinc Bar until Friday, 20 September 2024.

Exhibition Announcement: Joe Henry's ‘Smalltown Boy’ | 23 Aug – 20 Sept 2024 | SWG3’s Zinc Bar

Against a backdrop of Thatcherism and a Conservative government, Bronski Beat’s iconic ‘Smalltown Boy’—a song about a young q***r man who leaves Glasgow to find accepting in London—became an anthem for a growing community of q***r resilience and resistance.

Through a diverse range of artistic mediums including photography, painting, sculpture, and a live rave installation, artist and curator Joe Henry takes a personal and emotive approach to celebrating the song’s cultural significance and invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of identity and belonging amidst a hostile environment.

The exhibition features work by Csian Canave, Barney Ashton Bullock, James Horan, Steve Rapport, and Charles Jeffrey.

Join us for the opening event from 6pm - 9pm on Friday, 23 August in SWG3’s Zinc Bar, followed by a launch party in SWG3’s upstairs Warehouse space from 9pm - 3am, featuring DJs Jonbers Blonde (RuPaul’s Drag Race) Boy Shorts, Bonzai Bonner, Josh Caffe and Bosco.

To RSVP for the opening and book tickets for the launch party, head to: https://swg3.tv/events/2024/august/smalltown-boy-exhibition/

[Image credits: 1. Smalltown Boy OG by Joe Henry & Steve Rapport
2. Smalltown Boy Lane by Steve Rapport]

Don't miss your chance to see Martin Beck's 'Last Night' (2016) in Glasgow.

2 June 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the penultimate party hosted by David Mancuso at his loft space at 99 Prince Street in New York. Visual artist Martin Beck’s 13-hour video work is based on the 119 songs played by Mancuso on that night.

The Loft became a legendary blueprint after which many celebrated disco-era New York clubs and beyond tried to model themselves. 'Last Night' shows the records being played in full, in sequence, on a vintage turntable in a domestic atmosphere, providing an intimate journey of music and images reflecting a singular night at a particular moment in time.

Drop in to visit the exhibition in SWG3’s Warehouse during the following times:

Friday, 21 June: 10am-6pm
Saturday, 22 June: 10am-11.30pm
Sunday, 23 June: 10am-6pm

No ticket required.

Read more about Glasgow International 2024 x SWG3 swg.tv.�

What a weekend. It was an absolute pleasure being part of the opening weekend for this year’s Glasgow International, hosting so many different events - including the obligatory massive party to celebrate the start of the festival, which continues until 23 June.

Starting with Yoko Ono’s work DREAM being unveiled on the side of the Galvanizers, we then hosted a powerful live performance from Lawrence Abu Hamdan, the opening of Martin Beck’s video work inspired by the The Loft parties in New York, and even the sun made an appearance for a brilliant performance from STASIS celebrating the official opening of our garden space.

In between? A huge party, with the TV Studio dressed up in style for music from Mozart Estate, Pleasure Pool, Brenda, Louise X and Optimo.

There’s still chance to catch Martin Beck’s Last Night in the Warehouse this weekend and next, on Friday (10am-6pm), Saturday (10am-11.30pm) and Sunday (10am-6pm). No ticket required, just turn up and enjoy.

Images: Michael C Hunter

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 → swg3.tv/events/2024/june/martin-beck-last-night/

If you joined us for Yardworks Festival 2024, you’ll know how much of an incredible weekend it was – and we’re delighted to announce that the experience has been extended thanks to PARK XR, an innovative partnership between Yardworks and Skypark Glasgow combining urban arts and extended reality technologies to transform Skypark 7, the vacant site between Finnieston Street and Exhibition Centre train station, into a vibrant hub of artistic expression.

Led by Yardworks, it’s such an exciting project that will seamlessly blend street art with contemporary art in a unique 43,000 sq ft playground.

The steel shipping containers from Yardworks Festival that you all loved will now be relocated at the start of June to be used as part of the new project with Skypark. Opening on June 14, and running until June 30, the public will be able to experience a dynamic array of murals, light installations, and innovative digital art experiences, as some of the UK’s most loved street and graffiti artists will be commissioned to enrich the area with even more cultural vibrancy.

General admission is free, with advance booking recommended - head to our website to book your slot.

////////

Find out more:
swg3.tv/explore/news/swg3-announces-innovative-new-partnership-with-skypark/

So it begins. Our sixth Yardworks Festival and, as warned, our biggest one yet: we've now sold out of online tickets for Saturday. Don't panic: you can still pick up a ticket on the door on both Saturday and Sunday, or book weekend tickets online until 6pm on Saturday.

////////

Book tickets:
bit.ly/YardworksFestivalTickets

Information on food, workshops, activities and more:
bit.ly/YardworksInfo

Opening hours:
Saturday 4 May - 11am-8pm (last entry 7pm)
Sunday 5 May - 11am-7pm (last entry 6pm)

We're very excited to present a diverse programme of events, installations and performances at the tenth edition of Glasgow International, Scotland’s festival of contemporary art.

With the festival taking place from 7 - 23 June, we'll be celebrating the opening weekend in style with our SWG3 X Glasgow International Party on Friday 7 June. With live music from Louise X, Mozart Estate, Brenda, Pleasure Pool and a DJ set from Optimo, it'll also be chance to get a first look at artist Martin Beck's video piece Last Night, inspired by the playlist from one of the last parties at the 99 Prince Street location of seminal New York dance party The Loft.

We're also honoured that iconic artist Yoko Ono will be the next in a series of artists to present their work as part of The Billboard Project, a project by Jim Lambie and SWG3 - with Ono’s famous and striking work, DREAM, to be installed on the side of the Galvanizers from the start of Glasgow International until the end of the year.

Take a look at the full programme on our website - and we hope you'll join us across June.

////////

Find out more:
bit.ly/SWG3xGlasgowInternational

Whether you're a Yardworks veteran or you've never been before, we've got a fair number of new additions to this year's festival that may be up your street. In no particular order:

/// we'll welcome Nut, our first ever artist from China
/// a giant Paint-By-Numbers, with heights to suit everyone from kids to grown ups
/// screen-printing sessions from one of the festival sponsors, Heverlee
/// an interactive, multi-sensory, accessible play area from Soundplay Projects
/// brand new grassroots and artisan market stalls in the Galvanizers, including From The Boondocks, The Blankfaces and Ripe Mags

Head to our website for more details on all the above, and we hope you'll join us in a few weekends' time, when the weather is going to be glorious...

////////

What's New At Yardworks:
bit.ly/WhatsNewAtYardworks

////////

Saturday 4 May 11am—8pm
Sunday 5 May 11am—7pm
SWG3 Glasgow
Weekend and day tickets available
Under 16s go free (no ticket required)
Dogs welcome

📷 Michael C. Hunter

Just a few (stunning) glimpses of paintings by artist Rowan Meredith, who works primarily across painting, printmaking, drawing and collage.

We're (understandably) excited to be hosting her brand new exhibition, Phantom Limb, in the SWG3 Acid Bar from 25 March to 26 April - and if you are too, please join us for the opening night this Friday 22 March from 6pm. All welcome, please just drop us an email to [email protected] to RSVP and we'll see you there.

We're delighted to announce that artist Rowan Meredith is this year’s winner of the SWG3 Graduate Programme, which supports one artist each year with free studio space and an exhibition. We'd love it if you could join us for the opening of her exhibition, Phantom Limb, on Friday 22 March (6pm-10pm) - an evening of drinks, canapés, good company and stunning artwork.

If you plan on coming down, please RSVP to [email protected] and let us know how many people are in your group.

////////
Find out more:
swg3.tv/events/2024/march/rowan-meredith-phantom-limb-exhibition-opening/

Yardworks Festival is back for 2024. If you've not been before, Yardworks is Scotland's festival of graffiti and urban arts - and one of the true highlights of our calendar. Each and every year, we get an incredible mix of local and global artists and audience members descending on the Galvanizers Yard to create murals, paint, collaborate, take part in workshops, or just hang out and soak it all in. It's always inspiring, always entertaining, and we mostly seem to luck out with the weather (last year's sudden showers not withstanding).

We'll be announcing the full details of this year's festival this Fri 16 Feb, and general tickets go on sale on Fri 23 Feb. If you want a link to discounted early bird tickets, just sign up below, and you'll be able to book cheaper tickets 24 hours in advance.

////////
SIGN UP
Sign up for discounted Yardworks 2024 tickets:
bit.ly/YardworksFestival2024

We'd love you to join us in the garden on Saturday 13 January for another afternoon of nature, art, photography, storytelling, food and general cobweb-banishing good feelings. Propagate have lined up another packed day of activities including nature photography with Open Aye CIC, relief monoprinting with Art and Earth Collective, and soup and stories around the fire.

Please book a ticket (link in bio) so we know how many to expect - there's a £10 deposit which is fully refundable after you've attended the event.

////////

Find out more:
bit.ly/WinterGardenJanuary

If you've not visited our (gorgeous) garden yet, there's a chance to swing by on Saturday 16 December as Propagate host a day of winter activities, including festive wreath-making, hedge laying, nest box building and a pot-luck lunch. It's free, but please book a ticket (link below) so we know how many to expect. Come down for a bit of festive creativity, good food and community spirit - and leave with your own wreath, nest box and a ton of winter cheer.

////////

Sat 16 December
SWG3 Garden
10am-3pm
All ages welcome
Free but ticketed

Find out more:
bit.ly/WinterGardenEvents

We'd love you to join us on Friday 24th November from 6.30pm for the opening of Sólveig Einarsdóttir's new exhibition, Midgard.

Working in sculpture, in this body of work Sólveig explores the captivating world of Old Norse mythology, centring around the theme of Midgard (Miðgarðr) - the central place of the human world, in the middle of all the other worlds.

If you'd like to come along, please RSVP to [email protected], letting us know how many will be in your group - and we'll look forward to seeing you for drinks, canapes, chat and some incredible sculptural work.

////////

Join the Facebook event:
bit.ly/MidgardEvent

Find out more:
solveigeinarsdottir.com

Magic Is Real.

We're properly thrilled to reveal multi-award winning Scottish author David Keenan as the latest artist to present a new work as part of the SWG3 x Jim Lambie Billboard Project, which takes the 12-metre-wide billboard — installed on the Galvanizers' corrugated steel gable end during The New York Times Climate Hub, in November 2021 — and transforms it into a blank canvas.

Tonight, we're celebrating: first, with the launch of a new presentation of photographs celebrating over a decade of The Poetry Club (Acid Bar, 6.30pm onwards, all welcome - RSVP to [email protected]) and second, with the first in a brand new club series from DJs Death Wish & Blood Stain (aka Brother Joseph & David Keenan), Manifesto of Bliss (The Poetry Club, 8pm-late, sold out). Their first headline guest is the legendary David Holmes, so keep your eyes peeled for news of the next nights in the series.

////////

Find out more:
bit.ly/DavidKeenanBillboard

We're very excited for this one: a brand new exhibition of curated photography celebrating (just over) a decade of The Poetry Club, capturing moments from the major to the minor, the significant to the fleeting - and bringing together a decade of art, expression and counterculture.

Brought together by The Poetry Club founder and one of Scotland’s leading contemporary artists Jim Lambie, alongside SWG3 Director and founder Andrew Fleming-Brown, it'll feature images from a host of people including Mark Dickie, Jason McPhail and others.

We open in the SWG3 Acid Bar next Thursday 26 October, from 6.30pm-10pm(ish) If you fancy coming along, just email [email protected] - and, crucially, let us know how many people are in your party, so we can make sure we have enough snacks.

//////// Find out more
bit.ly/ThePoetryClubExhibition