Pinkie Maclure
Contemporary Artist, Sound Artist,
Contemporary Stained Glass, Singer
Pinkie Maclure, whose first solo exhibition is currently on at CCA in Glasgow, has forged a unique niche in the contemporary art firmament by working in stained glass. The deep religious and historical associations of the medium mean Maclure can have a lot of fun confounding expectations: yes, that really is a sneaker, a scotch pie, a Madonna-like figure whose headdress is made of botox needles.
Stained glass, originating in a time when many people were illiterate, was all about communication, and Maclure uses it to talk about the subjects that exercise her, from consumerism and the environment to opioid addiction and the beauty industry. The medium, wrangled here with a high level of skill and attention to detail, lends itself to symbols and stories and seems to demand a certain clarity of message.
The central work in the show is The Soil, a room-sized installation evoking an abandoned chapel where ivy grows up the sides of the old pews and the wind whistles through the broken door. At one end is a resplendent stained-glass window featuring a woman gardener, hands clasped in a secular prayer, urinating on her compost heap (human urine being an ideal activator of compost). A soundscape of whispers, children’s voices and snatches of song adds to the atmosphere.
It’s both monumental and irreverent, elevating the humble pursuit of gardening while thumbing its nose at the grandiose history of the medium. While concerns about vanishing communities, climate change and damage done to topsoil by intensive farming are all present in this work, there is also a businesslike cheerfulness to the welly-wearing modern saint and her no-nonsense pursuit of her purpose.
Visitor Feedback, 'Lost Congregation' 2023 CCA Glasgow
“This is the most REAL exhibition I have ever seen in the CCA, there’s no pretentiousness to it, it’s classic, contemporary and modern and you can tell the artist creates from her heart and soul”
“This is wonderful, it’s profound and mystical but it’s also extremely contemporary. Just wonderful. I’d like to take it all home with me.”
“Incredible. Very moving and unusual. I have never seen anything like this.”
“it’s stunning. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“This is the best thing I have seen in a long time, what a fantastic use of the medium, this isn’t your usual church stained glass!”
“It has a magical property, it felt like connecting to another realm, its a communal experience but also feels really personal. The play with icons!”
“Oh my, how are these made... I used to do glass work but nothing like this.... it’s so stunning all these details, does she use medieval techniques or is it all painted…This is why we came to Scotland.”
One visitor entered the gallery and just said “wow”
When he left he told me he was blown away, he said it “almost brought him to tears”.
‘Have you seen this thing, it’s astonishing’ one man said, and when he came out, '‘such a beautiful thing aye’'.
“It’s amazing isn’t it, I’m a glass artist myself so I know how difficult these techniques can be. It’s amazing”
“That was AMAZING, she’s amazing. I’ve been a massive fan of her work for years so I travelled from Brighton to see this show.
“That’s gonna stay with me for a while, seeing stained glass which isn’t about purity is so special “
“I feel like I’ve gone through a transcendent experience “