COURTESY ZABLUDOWICZ COLLECTION
The British Council Scotland announced today that Rachel Maclean will represent Scotland at the 2017 Venice Biennale. The Glasgow-based artist’s project is being commissioned and curated by Alchemy Film and Arts in partnership with Talbot Rice Gallery and the University of Edinburgh.
Maclean’s Venice Biennale commission will be a film work. Her videos, which have been shown at London’s Zabludowicz Collection and Glasgow’s Tramway gallery, feature fantastical narratives that are mostly staged in computer-generated settings; Maclean plays every character. Shot in candy-colored tones, her videos combine language borrowed from the Internet, centuries-old tales, and the aesthetic of Teletubbies.
“It is hugely exciting to be representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale,” Maclean said in a statement. “I am honored to be participating in such a significant international event and can’t wait to get started on the new commission.”