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For his second solo exhibition at The Modern Institute, Glasgow, Nicolas Party has transformed the Aird’s Lane space into an interior populated with temporary walls and murals meticulously rendered to resemble marble and malachite in the manner of trompe l’oeil. This scenery creates a faux-classical setting to present Party’s new body of pastels on canvas. The techniques and modes of display reference decorative traditions, a theme the artist continuously plays within his work. Often executing his wall paintings in materials conventionally used in murals such as charcoal, acrylic, spray paint, gold leaf and most recently oil paint, Party investigates the evolution throughout history in painting’s natural habitat and forms of presentation. Hung on the first of the three temporary walls, a depiction of a profile figure, with a cat sitting at its feet (Yellow Cat), faces the entrance. Further across the exhibition, Party’s pastels examine classical genres – portraiture, still lives and landscapes. Rather than depicting from imagination or direct observational study, he incorporates art historical references diversely ranging from Picasso’s 1921 pastel Tête de femme and Giotto’s flattened figures to the Belgian symbolist painter Leon Spiellaert.