I’m a bit late to the party, considering I had visited the NHOTB & RAD exhibition in the early days of it opening to the public. Although time has gone by, I am still left with the vivid memory and feeling of the environment Beagles and Ramsay built within the walls of Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art.

NHOTB & RAD – a playful use of our artist’s alter ego acronyms New Heads on the Block and Rope-a-Dope – delivers an immersive experience referencing fashion and the effects it has on society. A chat with artist Graham Ramsay was helpful in delivering insights regarding his and John Beagles process for this installation.

The exhibition is hosted within GoMA’s Gallery 1, entering the space requires walking through yellow and black PVC strips emulating the journey of objects passing through factories transported by the cyclical conveyer belt – an important part of the anthropoidian process. Upon delivery into a dark crevice, I was grappled by sharp and repetitive music that chimed in synth shrills. Here was a film depicting three animated figures modelling high end fashion. Graham describes these outfits to be imitative of designs by brands Off-White and Balenciaga; the prism constructed figure, in particular, branded in Kardashian tape.

Beyond the nook I was met with a peripheral view of the space: straight ahead were wooden figures fashioned with downward arrows and looking to my left I could see the centre-stage catwalk showcasing the model trio. On stage, at the back of the line are two dark monochromatic forms dawned in south facing arrows overshadowed by the imposing tape-wrapped prism. The spotlight shone brightly upon the geometric giant casting wings behind it, alluding to its status as a heavenly idol. Its ethereal nature raptured by the consumers; its shelf-life ephemeral.

Surrounding the ghosts of past, present, and future were upcycled office tables adorning the earthbound arrow brand styles but instead of being powerful in presence they exhibited their power through unsaintly actions.

These acts are documented in additional films found within the space in different areas. At first these shapes randomly pose and flock their ‘fits; in the next video they progress from random to unruly through efforts such as climbing atop buildings; the next displays more disorderly deeds from the anarchist fashionistas. As you travel through the spaces you will find figures sitting atop of the separators like those from the films.

Not all wooden figures are dressed in dripping arrows though like the majority they are detailed with holes. These circular cavities are used as an expression of injury caused by the effects of branding. At the end of the room, the wall opposite the entrance, you will find a body-bagged figure swathed in bubble wrap – perhaps a deliberately placed item directly ahead of the entrance, almost like the last step of becoming a product.

The NHOTB & RAD exhibition is an other-worldly environment using the dark to illuminate Beagles and Ramsay’s response to the fashion industry and the damaging effect it can have on consumers. The stage-lit exhibition introduced me to Pinocchio-oid beings representative of the people we walk amongst – including ourselves – and how we are strung by brand names and the trend-setting aesthetics they herald.

Gallery of Modern Art
Open every day, check times as they vary

NHOTB & RAD
Free Admission
14th of October 2024 – 28th of April 2024

Written by A-J, contributed with insights and images by Eliza.