Drinks, darts, DJs and drag queens: the artwork that's a fully-functioning pub with the artist pulling pints

"The art world has a real issue with making things overly conceptual, too complicated and using wanky jargon, says Trackie McLeod. It alienates people. So, for his latest show, Utopia, the 32-year-old Glaswegian has decided to create something more welcoming and familiar: a pub. Custom-built from scratch, the exhibition is a fully functioning boozer. McLeod will pull pints for punters, there's a dartboard where you can take aim at images of Thatcher or Trump,"

"Touching on themes of nostalgia, class, identity and gentrification, it is also an ode to pubs and working men's clubs as vital community hubs. I grew up in places like this, McLeod says. All our family occasions were there weddings, birthdays, funerals. It's where all the disputes happened. Spaces that were cheap and cheerful but championed character and comfort. I'm trying to bring back a sense of togetherness that we're lacking at the moment."

"McLeod whose nickname, Trackie, is based on his propensity, when younger, for bringing out a fresh tracksuit to put on when a party ran into day two is having a very busy run. After two successful exhibitions, Fruit (2024) and Fruit II (2025), he now also has Soft Play running at the Charleston in Lewes until mid-April, where he has recreated an outdoor play park in the exhibition space. It explores the awkward transition from childhood into teenager, he says."

Trackie McLeod created Utopia, a custom-built, fully functioning pub exhibition at Factory International's Aviva Studios in Manchester. The space operates as a working boozer where McLeod will pull pints and host events including drag acts, DJs and panel discussions. The installation features mixed-media artworks across print, sculpture and sound, playful participatory elements such as a fruit machine that dispenses chocolate coins, and a dartboard aimed at political figures. The project foregrounds nostalgia, class, identity and gentrification and celebrates pubs and working men's clubs as affordable community hubs that foster togetherness and character.

Read at www.theguardian.com