Is your tesserae really necessary was commissioned by Tramway for GENERATION: 25 years of Contemporary Art, a nationwide survey convened by the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh and Glasgow Life. GENERATION was a thorough engagement with the recent history of contemporary Scottish art, identifying key works and artists from 1989 onwards. A two volume catalogue provided wider historical context and individual essays on the selected artists.

The GENERATION project was strategically developed to align with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games and was intended as further affirmation of emerging and established historical narratives of recent Scottish contemporary art. The artwork developed in response to this context of commission, continuing Tatham and O’Sullivan’s wider ongoing enquiry into contemporary art’s sites of production, exhibition and dissemination.