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Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art (20 April- 7 May 2012) opened with the unveiling of Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller's major new artwork Sacrilege. Situated on Glasgow Green, Sacrilege was revealed as a full-scale, inflatable replica of Stonehenge, one of the UK's most recognisable heritage sites.
The ambitious new sculptural installation in the form of a magnificent bouncy castle is characteristic of Deller's on-going exploration of contemporary culture and continues the Festival's commitment to presenting engaging works in the public realm. Sacrilege is Deller's first major public project in Scotland. With funding from Arts Council England Sacrilege will also travel to different locations in the UK this June, before being shown in London this summer as part of CREATE and the London 2012 festival.
Jeremy Deller said: "This is a sculpture best experienced with your shoes off, in some ways it is an homage not only to the Stonehenge itself but to the anarchic freak out culture of Hawkwind, Bruce Lacey and Ken Russell."
Showcasing work by more than 130 artists across nearly 50 of Glasgow's best permanent and temporary exhibition venues, the Festival continues its tradition of bringing together exhibitions by the best international and local artists. Directed for the second time by Katrina Brown, of The Common Guild, the 18-day programme features a series of newly-commissioned works, several of which involve other disciplines, including dance, film, music, performance and theatre.
