Cool Britannia
Until May 1; Glasgow Print Studio 1

There is no part of the phrase “Cool Britannia” with which I have ever felt comfortable, although some small consolation is offered by the fact that the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band recorded a song of the same name in 1967. Now the Glasgow Print Studio takes up the refrain with a colourful pick and mix of (Not-so-)Young British Artists along with prints from a strong bag of Scottish talent.

As it’s a print show, there are no pickled sharks or frozen blood sculptures lurking here, and indeed there are no real surprises either. Most of the images are known to the art world already, and are logical extensions of existing bodies of work. This is no reason to ignore the show, which offers a succinct round-up of London’s erstwhile bad boys, and of Scotland’s latest generation of established artists.

The Londoners are all mixed in with the Scots, and if artists’ names don’t mean anything to you, the prices are a pretty good clue to which is which. The YBAs – much beloved of Charles Saatchi – charge more money, if you were in any doubt. It’s also fair to say that their work tends to grab you by the balls, while much of the rest of the exhibition appeals rather more discreetly to the cerebrum.

Take Marc Quinn’s image, Life. The huge screenprint is a close-up photo of his baby son, Lucas, whose bright eyed features fill the frame with cheerfulness. Like the most cynical advertisement, its straightforward impact on the viewer is guaranteed. Quinn’s other portrait of Lucas – made from his own liquidised placenta – is a lot less straightforward. You may or may not be pleased that it’s not on show here.

Michael Craig-Martin was teacher to many of the YBAs at Goldsmiths College, London. His flat, linear style is perfect for printmaking, and a number of his screenprints are scattered through this show. Like Lichtenstein’s paintings, their garish simplicity draws you to them like a child to a picture book, and like Magritte’s works, their wilful distortion of perspective leaves you questioning the relationship between signs and what they usually represent.

Sandwiched between Craig-Martin and three gloopy Davenports, you’ll find Scottish artist Christine Borland’s Treasury of Human Inheritance: Martin & Hansemmann’s Case. This triptych is, like its title, less immediately arresting than its neighbours. It charts without any kind of embellishment the genetic history of a rare disease, like a graph from a medical text book. Borland points on the one hand to the human story behind the statistics, and on the other to the possibilities and threats of genetic engineering.

Most of the works here were made for the medium of print. Some – like Damien Hirst’s Beautiful Galactic Exploding Screenprint – started life as paintings and have been translated into print for the purpose of distribution. This is not a new concept. It’s why printmaking began. Still, you want more from an exhibition of prints than reproductions of paintings.

So, nothing too sensational here, but a handy chance to check you’re up to date with 21 artists that everyone should know.

Catrìona Black, Sunday Herald 04.04.04