Observations: Huge teeth, taxidermy and 24-hour psychos in Glasgow

(Paramount Pictures © Universal Studios, Inc)

Fans of the artist David Shrigley's quirky, pen-and-ink, cartoon-like drawings may not be aware that he also makes sculptures, too. His latest collection of surreal pieces can be seen as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, which opens today and runs until 3 May. For two weeks, his sculptures are replacing the disparate objects usually seen in the display cases in the Study Centre at Kelvingrove Museum, so instead of suits of armour and jewellery, there's an oversized tooth and a pair of lungs made out of clay, a taxidermy puppy, a glazed, hollow ceramic bomb and a pile of 30 rough, silver-plated copper coins referencing Judas and the Bible.

There are over 50 artists exhibiting work around the city altogether, from the FINN Collective in a disused glue factory in Maryhill to the Glasgow artist Susan Philipsz, whose recordings of her own disembodied voice singing three different versions of the Scottish song "Lowlands" are being played simultaneously along the Clydeside walkway.

Filmwise, Gerard Byrne has created a video installation using 1960s documentaries on minimal art, while Douglas Gordon is revisiting his work from the 1990s in a new piece, 24 Hour Psycho Back and Forth and To and Fro. Taking his slowed down, 24-hour version of 24 Hour Psycho, he's playing the film on two screens side by side, one forwards and one backwards so that they coincide halfway through.

Both pieces tie in well with the director Katrina Brown's festival theme of past, present and future. "We're looking back at how people used to look forward," she explains. "What's exciting is that it's neither a conventional biennal or a performing arts festival, but a real blend of both. It's a little bit Glasgow and a little bit the rest of the world; we don't call it Glasgow International for nothing."

Glasgowinternational.org