Leading contemporary artist Andrew Hay’s work on show in Glasgow

Leading Scottish contemporary artist Andrew Hay is currently displaying three works inspired by his childhood visits to Glasgow’s East End cinemas in the 1940s and 1950s.
Gallowgate Neon and Gallowgate Noir take pride of place in Dennistoun Library alongside a print of his cinema poster painting This Gun for Hire for members of the local community and visitors to the city alike to enjoy at their leisure.
With Dennistoun Library’s place at the heart of the local community, the artist hopes that the exhibition will encourage debate and discussion on what art means to the people of the city.
Talking of the artwork, Andrew said: ‘Gallowgate Neon and Gallowgate Noir are paintings of the Orient and Granada cinemas, two of the cinemas I frequented as a boy. They form a narrative constructed from childhood memories linked to my background and relatives.

Glasgow artist Andrew Hay with Whitehall Secondary pupils Joseph Hamilton (left) and James Reynolds

‘The cinema paintings were part of a series exploring the link between memories and film. Film can become a snapshot in time and meaning, and can resonate with people in many different ways. The paintings themselves tell a particular story to me, but I hope they evoke feelings, memories and personal stories in all who view them.’
Born in 1944 in Glasgow’s East End, Andrew began his painting career at the age of 39. Glaswegians and visitors to the city will no doubt be familiar with his wide body of work, with his paintings appearing in many of the city’s museums, including People’s Palace, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art.
Whilst Dennistoun Library was chosen as the venue to house his latest exhibition due to its close proximity to the cinemas of Hay’s youth, this isn’t the first time the artist’s works have been on display in the city’s libraries.
In 1990, as Glasgow celebrated its UK City of Culture status, Hay worked to develop links between art and community as artist-in-residence at three Glasgow Libraries, creating pieces under the watchful eye of the city’s school children and library visitors. The paintings still remain in community settings across the city, including Elder Park Library and Roystonhill Community Centre, as a lasting legacy of Glasgow’s cultural accolade.

Three paintings by Glasgow artist Andrew Hay, Gallowgate Neon, This Gun For Hire and Gallowgate Noir

Andrew added: ‘Libraries were an important part of my childhood and I spent many hours in Dennistoun Library as a boy, looking at the works of different artists and exploring the stories behind them.
‘Much of my work takes inspiration from the east end of Glasgow, and I hope that by installing these pieces in the local library many young people will in turn be enthused by the area and encouraged to explore their own artistic potential. I’m looking forward to meeting people from across the city and hearing what they have to say about the artwork; encouraging a two-way dialogue, debate and discussion about the work whilst inspiring others to explore their own stories and utilise their imaginations.’
To encourage discussion around the works, a year-round programme of localised events and activities will be developed by Glasgow Libraries team to support Dennistoun library visitors’ young and old who have been inspired by Hay’s work.