A whole new world of creativity lies just across the Tay Bridge

Published on Thursday 31 January 2008 19:02

MEMBERS' SHOW 2008 ****

GENERATOR PROJECTS, DUNDEE

WE HEAR a lot about the art schools of the Central Belt, Edinburgh currently marking its centenary (the Ten Decades show is now at the Fleming Collection in London) and Glasgow continuing to pump out hot new talent. But for pure and simple burgeoning creativity, right now there's no beating Dundee.

Generator is Dundee's artist-run gallery, based in a chilly industrial space near the art college. And it seems that even the committee are a tad overwhelmed by this year's response to the annual open show, from nearly 120 artists, mostly students and recent graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone College. With works ranging from postcard-sized to a sculpture that takes up half a room, it's been a challenge to curate, but that hasn't stopped them making a praiseworthy attempt at it.

It's so happily democratic that it feels wrong to name names, but I particularly liked Hayley Wilkinson's abstract painting, John Purdie's photorealist nude, Jamie Irvine's delicate ink drawing, Jason Nelson's etching, Kathleen Downing's take on Dundee in felt pen, Gemma Mannion's playful sound-work, Bill Chrystal's made-up newspaper pages, and Peter Mansfield's painting on a flattened-out cardboard box.

Karen Spy's Falling into Value is a substantial piece which works on several levels. Ewan Taylor's Inefficient Solutions is impressive for its very scale, a construction of wood and nails worthy of Simon Starling. Ross Main's bust made from broken glass is sharp in both senses of the word and Andy Slater's Arthur Puffin storybook is just plain charming.

There is a sense in which this show is very much a product of Dundee and its art school. It has to do with the way in which printmaking and figurative painting, say, are valued alongside the conceptual. With just one piece of work by most of the artists, this is a taster show, hard to review and even harder to attach a star rating to, but the range and energy of it can't be faulted.