Last weekend, The Glasgow Gallery was delighted to open MODERN MYTHS, the third major exhibition from The Unlikely Clan – a Glasgow-based collective of figurative painters whose shared purpose is to explore narrative through contemporary art.
Founded in 2020 by Todd Garner, the Clan emerged from the idea that a group of painters making figurative work together might strengthen one another’s practice and create greater momentum when exhibited side by side, rather than placed within more traditional contexts such as landscapes or still lifes. Since then, they have continued to meet, paint, and evolve as a dynamic and collaborative collective, bound together by dialogue, enquiry, and imagination.
This latest exhibition introduces new and familiar faces to the gallery, with Nichol Wheatley and Todd Garner returning to the space, now joined by Frank McNab, Jane Gardiner, and Cherylene Dyer. Though each artist approaches figurative painting in a distinct way, they share a fascination with myth, memory, and the stories we tell about ourselves and our world.
Frank McNab, inspired by literature, poetry and symbolism, creates works where echoes of myths resurface through narrative and allegory. Cherylene Dyer layers colour and light to explore identity, memory, and our connection to the natural world, reimagining Ophelia not as a figure consumed by despair but as someone finding sanctuary in water. Todd Garner turns to the myths of everyday life, drawing inspiration from the stories told in Glasgow’s pubs and bars, and the ghosts left behind in places we pass through. Jane Gardiner, whose paintings often explore folk life and water, captures beautifully observed scenes that speak to our enduring fascination with the myths and stories that flow from the sea. Meanwhile, Nichol Wheatley, the artist behind Glasgow’s newest public sculpture Bella and the Seven Winds, reimagines myth on intimate scales, from the “Queen of Ravens” to the playful self-portrait in "Myth of the Artist as a Handsome Fellow".
Together,their works offer a bold and compelling twist on mythology and folklore. Familiar corners of Glasgow are transformed by imagination: Bram Stoker and Einstein appear in unexpected contexts, the city itself is personified as a young girl, and local haunts become stages for the stories we share. MODERN MYTHS reveals how myths, both ancient and modern, continue to shape how we see the world, weaving together literature, legend, and lived experience.
This unusual and thought-provoking exhibition captures the spirit of The Unlikely Clan: five artists with unique voices, whose work continually evolves in conversation with one another. In their hands, myth becomes both deeply personal and powerfully collective.
MODERN MYTHS runs until 11th October. Don’t miss this unusual and utterly compelling exploration of myth, folklore, and Glasgow itself!
