The Amsterdam-based artist Nora Turato has unveiled a public artwork in Glasgow, that responds to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Turato was due to visit Glasgow in April as part of the city’s contemporary art biannual Glasgow International, which has been postponed until 2021. Turato has emblazoned a poignant message on the façade of a building under redevelopment at 5 Florence Street There is no business in the business lounge. Adopting a design that recalls a pack of cigarettes, Turato underlines our global economic hiatus and also bears witness to a sombre recognition of mortality.
The public work in Glasgow builds on her use of text pieces and spoken-word performances as a means to elucidate the hidden matrixes of power that exist in language. The artist felt a sense of urgency to respond creatively to the crisis. In the absence of a gallery audience she chose to provide a work for Glasgow in an openly accessible environment, free and visible to all.
The work was supposed to be part of the exhibition “Too Much,” included in Glasgow International 2021 Across The City Programme. The show, curated by Giulia Gregnanin with the creative producer Sarah Smith, addressed the theme of self-representation in a patriarchal society, featuring works by Nora Turato, Jeanne Tullen, SAGG Napoli, Adam Christensen. “Too Much” has been postponed due to Coronavirus outbreak.
