‘Mother Clyde’ Greer Pester, Outer Spaces Bank Commissions

Outer Spaces presents a bold programme of newly commissioned works by artists Sooun Kim, Greer Pester, and Jamie Fitzpatrick. Selected from the Outer Spaces network of studio holders, this is a unique opportunity for the artists to make new, ambitious work in response to one of our most historic spaces.

Responding to the former Clydesdale banking hall at 30 St Vincent Place, Glasgow, these works explore the building’s symbolic relationship to power, stability, and prosperity—qualities embedded in the fabric of this iconic Victorian structure. At the same time, the artists engage with the building’s current, transitory state, where past and present converge.

The works will be revealed to the public through a series of pop-up events throughout the spring of 2025, offering a dynamic exploration of the site’s rich history and its shifting role in the present

Greer Pester is a Glaswegian visual and social artist whose multidisciplinary practice is deeply rooted in community and social engagement. For this commission Greer Pester draws inspiration from the bust of “Father Clyde,” an emblem of prosperity placed above the entrance to Glasgow’s oldest bank in the 1800s. The title of the commission, Mother Clyde, offers a counterpoint to the traditional myth of the river as a provider of material wealth. Instead, Mother Clyde invokes a new imagined deity that embodies the feminine power of the river, challenging the capitalist ideals upheld by the original bank. This reimagined mythology critiques the ongoing environmental toll of material wealth, envisioning a sacred space for slowing down, reflecting, and embracing the river’s roles of fragility, resilience, and renewal.