Exhibition previews: ECONOMY, Stills, Edinburgh, until April 21; Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, until March 23 2013

One venue was never going to be enough to contain this ambitious show. Curators Angela Dimitrakaki and Kirsten Lloyd are researchers at the University of Edinburgh and their academic background is evident in the 1,600-word introduction they contribute to the show’s dedicated website.

So with its block capital title, ECONOMY appears to scream about social realities which can no longer be ignored. Global capitalism is now in its third decade. The postmodern, cultural subject has been replaced by subjects dependent on the blockages and flows of money.

Dimitrakaki and Lloyd blame the economic system for the precarity of our jobs, the privatisation of our schools and hospitals and that army of surplus labour known as the unemployed. What’s more, it is responsible for the corruption of our democracies, the ravaging of our planet, and the return of slavery.

Not much is said about the art, save for the fact that the many artists included have all been quick to recognise these determining factors of life on this planet.

See whether art is a match for economics and make your way to Edinburgh and Glasgow, work commitments and travel budget permitting.

• Stills open 11am-6pm; CCA open Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm. Admission free. Follow the CCA on Twitter @CCA_Glasgow and Stills @StillsEdinburgh.
  
  

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