Brando, Morgan and Calgary

Working with Glasgow International 2021’s theme of Attention the Roberts Institute of Art presented a programme of new work from Nina Beier, Paul Maheke and Lina Lapelytė.

Each artist developed different registers of attention throughout the programme, whether through the presence of personal trauma, unexpected phenomena or the vulnerability of a changing world. The programme at GI drew on the Roberts Institute of Art’s history of developing dynamic performance work and marked the beginning of a new phase in the direction as the organisation collaborates across the UK with institutional partners to share artists’ work more broadly and to wider audiences.

Brando, Morgan and Calgary (2021) is the documentation of a performance by Nina Beier that took place in Glasgow in June 2021. This performance happened with no audience invited and much of it taking place behind closed doors.

The work popped up on GI’s website unexpectedly, in many ways similar to the original performance which was only witnessed by passers-by. As with much of Beier’s practice, the piece speaks to the ways objects and beings can move through different value systems, whether cultural, political or economic. For example, how human hair, a specific breed of dog or brand of car can take on meanings and uses in different contexts, becoming status symbols or acquiring particular cultural values. Using differing scales, from the miniature to the giant, Beier has created a humorous and unsettling performance that involves an interaction between large Newfoundland dogs and toy Land Rovers.

Viewable across the GI website every Friday from 18 June – 30 July, midnight – midnight BST

Brando, Morgan and Calgary
Remote controlled car, human hair wig, Newfoundland dogs

Artist Nina Beier

Curated by The Roberts Institute of Art
Commissioned by The Roberts Institute of Art in partnership Glasgow International

Camera operator Miles Trotter
Video editor Miles Trotter
Production assistants Natasha Ruwona and Sorcha Mae Stott-Strzala
Dog handlers Anne and Ronnie Leitch
Web developer Interesting Digital
With special thanks to the team at SWG3, Glasgow and Brando, Morgan and Calgary
Supported by the Danish Arts Foundation