Although officially themeless, this year’s Glasgow International was nevertheless woven together by some common threads. It was the sixth edition of the festival and the first under the artistic direction of Sarah McCrory; as one has come to expect from such biennial undertakings, exhibitions and installations were spread throughout the city, occupying spaces ranging from major public institutions to such quirky, out-of-the-way venues as an underground parking garage, a vendor’s stall in a dilapidated shopping center, and a crumbling Edwardian community bathhouse.

In many ways, Glasgow itself