Tag: exhibition

Women in Revolt! set to take over Modern Two in Edinburgh

Be inspired by stories of collaboration, creativity and rebellion in Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Modern Two in Edinburgh 

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 

Modern Two 

25 May 2024–26 January 2025 

Tickets £4 –£14 | Friends go free  

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970–1990 | National Galleries of Scotland 

The first of its kind, Women in Revolt! is a major survey of feminist art, celebrating the women whose radical ideas and rebellious methods changed the face of British culture.

Come and discover the powerful and often provocative work of over 100 women artists and collectives, forged against the backdrop of seismic social and economic change over two decades.

Tickets are on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland website. 

Curated by Linsey Young, Curator of British Contemporary Art at Tate Britain, in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland and The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Women in Revolt! will take over the entire Modern Two gallery in Edinburgh from 25 May 2024 until 26 January 2025.

Following its debut at Tate Britain in November 2023, the exhibition will bring to Edinburgh a select range of works from the London show, drawing from public and private collections across the country in what will be the only chance to see this landmark exhibition in Scotland. 

Women in Revolt! spans two decades of art and activism, charting a range of themes and social issues that influenced and impacted on women artists.

Topics such as the Women’s Liberation Movement, maternal and domestic experiences, Punk and independent music, Greenham Common and the peace movement, the visibility of Black and South Asian women artists, and Section 28 and the AIDS epidemic will be explored in six thematic galleries platforming the creative contributions, ideas and activism of a diverse set of communities living and working in the UK throughout this period.

Women in Revolt! will highlight the ways in which women challenged societal norms through their creativity, both collectively and in isolation, using their lived experiences to create art and fight injustice.  

Paintings, drawings, sculptures, textiles, films, photography, and documentation of performances will be shown alongside a range of archival materials, with many artworks on display for the first time since the 1970s.

Work by well-known artists including Sonia Boyce, Helen Chadwick and Linder will be displayed side by side with an array of artists who, despite their long careers, have been left out of the mainstream art historical narratives. 

Featuring artists from across the UK, the powerful work and pioneering techniques of Scottish-based women artists will also be showcased. Visitors will encounter works such as Cool Bitch and Hot Dog (1978) by Edinburgh-based artist and weaver Elizabeth Radcliffe. Her sculptural three-dimensional tapestry reflects the artist’s desire to be a modern woman, defying the passive stereotypes of mother, caregiver, cleaner or sexual object.

Glasgow-born artist Rita McGurn utilised a range of found and domestic materials to create work, using techniques such as crochet, a long-undervalued artistic medium due to its domestic associations. Several of McGurn’s characterful life-sized soft sculptures will go on display at Modern Two.  

Maud Sulter

Select works from Scotland’s national collection will also go on display, including Urania from the series Zabat (1989) by the Scots-Ghanaian artist and writer Maud Sulter.

A significant figure in the Black Arts Movement, Sulter used her practice to challenge white supremacy and reconsider history through a personal lens as a Black woman.

The monumental Warrior Woman V: The Artist (1986), by Glasgow-based Sam Ainsley will be shown in Scotland for the first time in nearly four decades as part of this tour. Standing at over 11 feet tall and brimming with the spirit of protest, Ainsley’s work presents a striking figure, embodying the artist’s expression of feminist concerns, challenging the patriarchy and asserting female power. 

GMA 3026

The dramatic evolution of women’s relationships with work, domesticity and motherhood created an extensive source of inspiration for artists throughout this period. Frustrations fuelled by the expectations of domestic labour are palpable in a range of impactful works on display by artists such as Bobby Baker, Alexis Hunter and the See Red Women’s Workshop whose bold poster works challenge sexist stereotypes and directly reflect the demands and concerns of the Women’s Liberation Movement.

The social and political implications of women raising a family also comes into play in works such as The Hackney Flashers’ Who’s Holding the Baby (1978). The installation critiques the lack of government supported childcare and sheds light on the impossible position of being both a mother and a worker in 1970s Britain. 

The riotous and expressive era of Punk and Post-Punk movements will be examined through collage, film and photography by artists and musicians including Marianne Elliott-Said (A.K.A Poly Styrene), Caroline Coon, and The Neo Naturists, whose ritualistic performance art of the 1980s used bold body paint to challenge the objectification of the female form.

Gina Birch, a founding member of the experimental Punk band The Raincoats, also presents her 1977 film 3 Minute Scream, where the artist can be heard screaming for the duration of a Super 8 cartridge. The film communicates a powerful statement of defiance, conveying what many young women felt but were not given the opportunity to articulate. 

The art of protest and women’s role in activism will form a key element of the show, with a range of banners, posters and journals, as well as documentary photography by Format Photography Agency, Mumtaz Karimjee, and Bhajan Hunjan telling the story of rousing, women-led protests throughout this time.

Women in Revolt! focuses on causes such as the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, established in 1981 to protest the placement of nuclear weapons, and the Section 28 protests, fighting against laws prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality.

Materials exploring the 1984 Miners’ Strike and anti-racism campaigns are also represented, highlighting the central role women have played in activism. 

Women in Revolt! will also platform the crucial contribution of Black and South Asian women artists and activists. The exhibition will explore the impact of women involved in movements including the BLK Art Group and the advocacy group and archive Panchayat, as well as their role in the first National Black Art Convention in 1982.

Key works by artists including Sutapa Biswas, Lubaina Himid, Claudette Johnson, Joy Gregory, Pratibha Parmar and Rita Keegan will feature alongside recently conserved works such as Nina Edge’s Snakes and Ladders (1985), an installation made of batik on paper and ceramics and exhibited as part of Women in Revolt! for the first time in three decades. 

The final room brings together work created in the context of the AIDS epidemic and Section 28 in the late 1980s, with a focus on lesbian communities. Discover the powerful work of artists including Jill Posener, Del LaGrace Volcano, Poulomi Desai and Tessa Boffin. Women in Revolt! concludes with works that reflect on the changing economic landscape and women’s place within it by Franki Raffles and Roshini Kempadoo. 

Women in Revolt! is a timely and urgent exhibition celebrating the women who paved the way for future generations through their creativity and activism. The power of their work continues to resonate with audiences today.  

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “We are proud to platform the work of women artists who have been under-represented throughout their careers and are grateful to Tate for bringing this important exhibition to the forefront.

“Women in Revolt! also presents a fantastic opportunity to consider the Scottish women artists who have contributed significantly not only to the world of art, but the world around us. We hope visitors to Modern Two will be inspired by the tenacity, creativity and strength of the remarkable women they will encounter throughout this exhibition.” 

Linsey Young, Curator of British Contemporary Art at Tate Britain said: “Being from Edinburgh, I’m thrilled that Women in Revolt! is touring to the National Galleries of Scotland.

“I’m particularly excited to see it take over Modern Two where the gallery’s unique space will allow it to a develop a new character and encourage different readings of the work.

“It’s a real joy to be able to present works by local artists such as Maud Sulter, Sam Ainsley, Rita McGurn, Erica Rutherford and Elizabeth Radcliffe in the exhibition along with so many of their celebrated peers, demonstrating the importance of Scottish women’s artistic practice in the broader context of feminist art history across the UK.” 

Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 is yours to discover at National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two from Saturday 25 May 2024. Find out more and book tickets now Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970–1990 | National Galleries of Scotland 

Seasonal Artistic Disorder: Bernie Reid exhibition at hubCAP Gallery

Exhibition / Event Title. 
Seasonal Artistic Disorder: Past and present works by Bernie Reid
Artist/s / Participants:
Bernie Reid
About the Exhibition:Seasonal Artistic DisorderPast and present works by Bernie Reid
The work included in SAD could be seen as an inventory. I wanted to take the opportunity allowed by this exhibition to sit different works from the last fifteen years alongside current works in order to reflect on the sometimes dispirit avenues of my practice and to see if new ideas emerge from these assemblies.

It is sometimes a rare moment for an artist to be able to set out works side by side and have the space, both physical and mental, to see how the works play, conflict, or settle with each other so I wanted to take advantage of this time to do some self-curation.

My past works engage with the figurative tradition seen through the lens of my history with graffiti and stencil art and they are often an attempt to work through the conflict between my influences. 

I find challenge in sampling the traditional and the new and trying to try to coalesce these samples into something greater than the sum of its parts. 

There are also examples of my interest in the decorative arts with my painted rugs and a sculpture piece which will appear “naked” for this outing.

At present I’m interested in the phenomena of AI generated art and its effect on painting and how art is perceived in general and I’ve tried to address my own issues with this burgeoning technology.

My hope for the show is, through the mixture of work from different periods, to have a kaleidoscopic moment for my own edification and the viewers entertainment.

Artist Bio: 

Bernie Reid is an Edinburgh-based artist with an international reputation whose body of work includes mixed media paintings, trompe l’oeil decorative rugs, graphic screen prints and sculpture. Reid’s explorations of subculture, fashion, graffiti and eroticism can be seen throughout the work of his 30-year career as an illustrator and artist.
 
Reid often employs mediums and techniques associated with graffiti such as stencils and spray paint in his work.

His mixed media paintings use these techniques alongside traditional oils to depict abstracted and psychedelic figurative forms influenced by the subcultural practices of sampling and hacking established culture in order to create new identities, the deviant sensibility of graffiti never being too distant from the outcome.
 
Themes of subcultures and eroticism also manifest in Reid’s graphic screen prints. Driven by a taste for control and technical efficiency and influenced by the stylings of mid-century advertising and Italian futurism – Reid uses exaggerated shapes and line work to create figurative illustrations inspired by urban society.
 
As an illustrator Reid worked on commissions for clients such as Wallpaper magazine, Stella McCartney, Telegraph Newspaper, Habitat, Liberty London, Boxfresh, ID magazine and has had his personal work featured in a number of illustration books and journals.
 
Reid’s work has been shown internationally in galleries which include MOMA New York, SFMOMA, 019 in Ghent, Serpentine Galleries in London, Garage Museum in Moscow and on the island of Stromboli for the Fiorucci Art Trust.
 
Additionally, Reid regularly facilitates projects for Artlink, a local charity that aims to help people with mental health connect with a creative practice and others seeking to find wellness through art.

Opening Event 

Thursday, 18th April, 5 pm – 8 pm
Exhibition Dates Times 
Weekdays 22nd – 26th 
11am – 4pm 

Artists Website: https://www.berniereid.co.uk/

Artists Contact: me@berniereid.co.uk

Artists Social Media: www.instagram.com/reid.bernie

hubCAP Gallery 
The Gatehouse
350 West Granton Road
Edinburgh
EH5 1QE

Discovery exhibition opens at granton:hub this weekend

There’s just days to go before Bronwen Winter Phoenix unveils her artwork in a solo debut exhibition at granton:hub – based in Madelvic House – over Easter weekend, with opening night on Friday (29th March), 6pm – 9pm. 

The Edinburgh-based artist will also deliver live demonstrations for visitors who will be able to watch her paint within the gallery space throughout the day on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st from 10am – 4pm.

Although this is Bronwen’s first solo exhibition, she recently had four pieces of work displayed at Edinburgh Palette as part of an open call exhibition from Awright Projects. DISCOVERY will showcase new works, along with some pivotal pieces for Bronwen. 

An ex-journalist and Galaxy Award-nominated fiction author, Bronwen is currently studying contemporary art practice (CAP) at Edinburgh College’s Granton campus, and is involved in the local art community there – including being on the committee of student-run hubCAP Gallery.

Bronwen said: “I’m really excited to be showcasing my work in the welcoming setting of granton:hub. It definitely feels like I’ve been on a bit of a journey with my art the past couple of years, and this exhibition is the culmination of that, really.” 

She continued: “Since I started painting again, I’ve been the happiest I’ve felt in my life, and I never want to stop. I feel like this is exactly where I need to be right now, but I’ve only managed to get here with the support of everyone around me, which I’m incredibly grateful for.” 

Having been discouraged at a young age from pursuing her art dreams, Bronwen turned to writing instead, and until more recently, it’s how she had earned a living with journalism and her marketing agency. 

Bronwen said: “It just goes to show, you should never let ANYONE discourage you from following your dreams. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunities I do now to pursue an art career, and I’m only just getting started.” 

Since she first started painting and working with both traditional and digital media, Bronwen has worked with two national charities. 

Official description via granton:hub: 

Ever since she picked up a paintbrush for the first time in roughly 20 years, Edinburgh-based artist Bronwen Winter Phoenix has been on a journey of realisation and uncensored passion.

DISCOVERY is Bronwen’s solo debut exhibition in which she shares many of her major pictorial and sculptural artworks created on that journey of realisation, predominantly exploring the human condition. The way we’re fuelled, moulded, twisted and pulled by connection, love, and loss, as well mental health and inner demons. Her work highlights the physical, the moral, and the psychological, with even a bit of whimsy thrown in at times.

Bronwen has so far been commissioned by two national charities, and four pieces of her work were recently displayed at Edinburgh Palette as part of an open call exhibition, where they were well received.

Meet the artist herself, discuss the work at the preview evening or come along over the Easter weekend where Bronwen Winter Phoenix will be hosting a live painting demonstration during the day within the granton:hub gallery space at Madelvic House.

Holyrood Palace Gallery to reopen with Georgian fashion blockbuster and £1 tickets for low-income families

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians
The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 
22 March – 22 September 2024

Reopening under its new name of The King’s Gallery, the art gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse relaunches its exhibition programme with Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, exploring life in 18th-century Britain through the fashions of the day.   

It will be the 40th exhibition to be held in the Gallery since it opened in 2002 and the first in 18 months while the Gallery underwent essential maintenance works. A new scheme of £1 tickets, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits, will launch with the opening of the exhibition.

Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians will bring together almost 100 works from the Royal Collection, including paintings, prints and drawings by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, William Hogarth and their contemporaries. 

At the heart of the exhibition will bea selection ofsurviving period clothing and accessories, alongside paintings showing comparable items. Together, these works will build up a layer-by-layer picture of what the Georgians wore – from the functional dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns suitable for court – between the accession of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830.

After a successful run in London, new additions have been made with distinctly Scottish links. These include two depictions of George IV by Fife-born artist Sir David Wilkie, painted to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Scotland in almost 200 years.

In the largest of these, the King stands proud in full Highland dress of Royal Stewart tartan, making a statement of unity with the monarch portrayed as heir to both the Hanoverians and the Jacobites following over a century of conflict. Also on display is a portrait by Louis Gabriel Blanchet of Bonnie Prince Charlie, showing the Jacobite leader as a defiant prince. 

The 18th century was a period of discovery, with new inventions influencing fashion accessories. Imagery on fans – which could be revealed and concealed – gave women an opportunity to participate in topical conversations from which they might otherwise be excluded.

A French fan from 1783 depicts the second successful manned flight of a hot air balloon with a central vignette showing the balloon flying above Paris – to the delight of elegantly dressed crowds below.

Other accessories on display will include a miniature of Queen Charlotte, rings from her famed jewellery collection and jewel-encrusted snuffboxes.

From the introduction of military uniforms to the evolution of childrenswear and developments in haircare, and with notable loans from Historic Royal Palaces, the Fashion Museum Bath, The Bowes Museum, and The School of Historical Dress, this exhibition will explore what fashion can tell us about all areas of life in Georgian Britain.

As part of Royal Collection Trust’s charitable aim to ensure that as many people as possible can access and enjoy the Collection, the organisation is proud to launch a new scheme of £1 tickets for the exhibition, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.

In addition to £1 tickets, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer a range of concessionary rates, while visitors who purchase standard tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, allowing free re-entry for 12 months.

Anna Reynolds, curator of Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, said: ‘Clothing and historical fashion can tell us an enormous amount about life in the Georgian period.

“It was a time of rapid change, including particularly momentous events in Scotland with attempts to restore the Stuart line to the throne and George IV’s visit north of the border – the first by a reigning monarch in almost 200 years.

“We are delighted to be launching accessible tickets with the opening of this exhibition, allowing more people than ever to learn about this exciting period in our history.’

Paolozzi turns 100! 

Celebrate the Scottish Pop Art icon’s birthday at Modern Two

TODAY – Thursday 7 March 2024 – marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Scottish art icon Eduardo Paolozzi. Join the National Galleries Scotland in celebrating his big day in style at Paolozzi at 100.

Paolozzi at 100 is a tribute to the father of Pop Art. Taking over the ground floor of Modern Two in Edinburgh, this free exhibition takes visitors on a journey through some of Paolozzi’s most popular artworks, including his collages, prints, textiles, ceramics and sculptures. 

In the exhibition, visitors can explore 60 vibrant artworks across two rooms and a special display in the Keiller Library. Discover the colourful life of a cultural icon through a selection of works drawn from Scotland’s national collection.

The exhibition begins with the years following Paolozzi’s first visit to Paris in 1947 and travels through his life. Learn about his eclectic take on popular culture and the machine age. Examine the highly detailed Mickey tapestry made with Dovecot Tapestry Studio and marvel in vibrant graphic and gold ceramic plate collaborations designed for Wedgwood.

Don’t miss the kinetic energy of the Calcium Light Night and Moonstrip Empire News screenprints. Complete the tour with a look into Paolozzi’s epic public art projects, including the vibrant mosaics designed for Tottenham Court Road Underground Station. In the Penrose Gallery, a large projection will focus on Paolozzi’s 1971 collaboration with fashion house, Lanvin. 

All this can be seen alongside the recreation of Paolozzi’s London art studio, the towering Vulcan and the Cleish Castle Ceiling Panels, all permanently on display at Modern Two for visitors to enjoy all year round.

Indulge in a coffee at Paolozzi’s Kitchen, named in tribute to the artist himself, then take a stroll through the grounds and see if you can spot Paolozzi’s imposing sculpture Master of the Universe. Visitors can also delve deeper into the artworks with an eight stop free audioguide on Smartify.

Of Italian descent, Paolozzi was born in Edinburgh’s Leith in 1924, and is a much-loved son of the city. He studied in Edinburgh and London before spending two years in Paris. There, he produced enigmatic, bronze sculptures and Dada and Surrealist-inspired collages that combined magazine advertisements with cartoons and machine parts.

Returning to London to teach at several art schools, Paolozzi continued to develop his printmaking and sculpture techniques, with a particular interest in the mass media and in science and technology, developing a style that would become known as Pop Art. Paolozzi was knighted in 1989 and gifted a major bequest of his works to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1995.  

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Eduardo Paolozzi is one of Scotland’s best-known artists and was an Edinburgh icon.

“His powerful influence can still be seen across the city today in everything from sculptures and architecture to fashion to food and drink brands.

“The National Galleries of Scotland is delighted to be celebrating his 100th birthday with an exhibition that brings together 60 key Paolozzi works from Scotland’s national collection.

“We hope everyone will take the opportunity to enjoy this free glimpse into the phenomenal art that is Paolozzi at 100.” 

Paolozzi at 100 is open now at Modern Two. Join us and discover how high art became part of the everyday; from towering sculptures and chaotic prints to luxurious textiles and iconic collages, it’s time to celebrate the city’s favourite artist in style!   

Hamza Yassin attends opening of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Edinburgh

Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 20 January to 6 May 2024 

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin yesterday attended an event to mark the opening of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland.

The exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.

Using photography’s unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.   

Hamza Yassin said: “I was delighted to be among the first people in Scotland to view this thought-provoking exhibition.

“As a wildlife cameraman and photographer myself, it was great to see such a variety of incredible images and to appreciate the skill, knowledge of nature and ingenuity that must have gone into capturing them.

“Photography like this can really inspire us all to think about the beauty and fragility of our natural world, as well as the things we can do to protect it.” 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.

Launched in 1965, today the competition receives entries from countries all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images will embark on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people.   

This year’s competition attracted 49,957 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries. Over the course of a week at the Natural History Museum in London, entries were judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.  

French underwater photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 for The golden horseshoe, an otherworldly image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by a trio of golden trevallies. Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 was awarded to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler from Israel for his Owls’ roadhouse, a dynamic frame of barn owls in an abandoned roadside building.  

Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: “These images taken together tell a powerful story, balancing the wonder and beauty of the natural world with its fragility and vulnerability to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“It is perhaps less well understood how the work of in-house natural sciences teams and external researchers on collections such as ours at National Museums Scotland and those at the Natural History Museum contributes hugely to global understanding of human impact on the environment. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition when it opens this weekend.” 

Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum said: “We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change.

“The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.” 

Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran said: “What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviours and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world. We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.” 

The exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and will be supported by a range of public events and activities.  

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is truly stunning and inspiring, helping us discover untold stories of species from around the world.

“Our players have raised more than £3.3 million for National Museums Scotland and I’m delighted their support makes exhibitions like this accessible to everyone, allowing more people to learn about our natural world”. 

Major video game exhibition to open in Edinburgh next summer

Game On 

29 June to 3 November 2024 

nms.ac.uk/GameOn 

Game On, the largest interactive exhibition of the history and the culture of video games, will return to Edinburgh next summer.

The exhibition, featuring iconic characters and games ranging from Space Invaders to Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario to Minecraft, runs from 29 June to 3 November 2024 at the National Museum of Scotland. 

Game On, an exhibition conceived and curated by Barbican Immersive, examines the creative and technological advances that have established a new medium and artform. In Game On, visitors explore gaming’s rich history by playing many of the key games produced over the last 50 years.  

The exhibition will open over 20 years after the National Museum of Scotland was its very first touring venue in October 2002, after its initial opening run at the Barbican in London.  

Since then, over five million people of all ages, have visited this highly interactive exhibition in 24 cities around the world. 

Patrick Moran, Game On Associate Curator, said: “The gaming world has had an undeniable social, cultural, and technological impact. Games transcend the boundaries between art and technology, becoming part of popular culture. 

“Game On presents the opportunity to not only see the evolution of video games and how they have diversified, but also lets to immerse yourself inside the gaming world allowing you to play with over 100 playable games.

“The show features the largest playable collection in the world, including original arcade, handle hand, and console games, including Pac-Man, Super Mario, Tetris, Minecraft, Just Dance and FIFA.

“The exhibition also explores new advances in the gaming world. Highly interactive, all action, groundbreaking and popular, Game On is engaging for hardcore gamers and visitors new to the gaming, the show is suitable for players of all ages.” 

Dr Geoff Belknap, Keeper of Science and Technology at National Museums Scotland said: “It’s great to welcome Game On back to the National Museum of Scotland.

“As someone in charge of science and technology collections, it’s exciting to see the rapid changes in gaming technologies over the last 20 years reflected in this exhibition through objects which I used to have in my own living room. 

“The exhibition has been continually updated at each new touring venue since the early 2000s, when the show was first in Edinburgh, and so we look forward to bringing the story of video gaming right up to date here in Scotland, where the industry today is so vibrant.” 

The exhibition is organised in thematic sections, inviting visitors to explore game design and technological parallels across the decades.

The sections explore different types of gaming, from handheld to home console to arcade machines across a range of genres, as well as wider cultural aspects such as the links between gaming and both music and film. 

The exhibition will be supported by a programme of public events. 

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego to make its mark at the National Galleries of Scotland this winter

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego 

National Galleries Scotland: National (Royal Scottish Academy)  

2 December 2023 – 25 February 2024 

The Printmaker’s Art | Rembrandt to Rego | National Galleries of Scotland 

Woodblock print Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji; Thunderstorm Below the Summit Katsushika Hokusai Japan ca.1831 Colour print from woodblocks

This winter, discover five hundred years of boundary-pushing artwork in The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) in Edinburgh.

Visitors can explore four galleries packed with around 100 artworks by some of the world’s most iconic artists, including Rembrandt, Hokusai, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and Paula Rego. The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego opens on 2 December 2023 till 25 February 2024, with tickets on sale now from the National Galleries of Scotland. 

Bringing together the very best examples of fine art printmaking from Scotland’s national collection; The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego includes early woodcuts, such as Albrecht Dürer’s incredible Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, through to bold, punchy pop-art idols such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Reverie and Andy Warhol’s The Cow. The exhibition also looks to the future, with a range of new artworks acquired through the Iain Paul Fund on display together for the first time.

These acquisitions include work from contemporary printmakers such as Tessa Lynch, Lucy Skaer, Lucy McKenzie and Christian Noelle Charles. Visitors will also have a unique opportunity to see art on loan from public and private collections, including exceptional prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Yinka Shonibare and Cornelia Parker, which will grace the walls of the National (Royal Scottish Academy) especially for this exhibition. 

The Printmakers Art: Rembrandt to Rego takes a striking visual journey through a fascinating spectrum of printmaking techniques.

From historic trailblazers to contemporary movements, old traditions to new visions, revered artists to the creatively curious, printmaking achieves an array of distinct visual effects which would not be possible in other mediums.

It is also one of the most widely accessible forms of artistic expression; starting with a basic handprint on a page, printmaking has the power to evolve into something daring, bold, provocative and new. 

At the heart of The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego is a celebration of the skills and processes which form an integral part of this traditional yet ever evolving and much-loved artform.

See films of printmakers at work and get up close to discover how you can spot an etching from a lithograph, or woodcut from wood engraving. The fundamental processes developed in the 15th century printing press are ever-present in the bustling print workshops of today.

Artworks on show will demonstrate how this has evolved, including the ingenious ways contemporary artists are developing new and sustainable processes, alongside utilising digital technologies, to secure the future of printmaking for generations to come.  

Scotland’s printmaking story is key to the exhibition, not only through the artworks on display, but through a series of films from print studios across the country at the forefront of contemporary printmaking. There is also a unique opportunity for visitors to see the tools and working materials used to make prints featured in the exhibition, on loan from the artists themselves. 

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “Printmaking is an enduring art form that continues to capture the imagination and ignite a spark of inspiration.

“The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego at the National (Royal Scottish Academy) offers an exciting opportunity to see some of the most popular works from Scotland’s national collection alongside several important loans.

“The exhibition gives visitors a chance to come face to face with many revered artists from the last five hundred years, all while discovering more about this beloved practice.

“This is also a chance to put our homegrown printmakers in the spotlight, proudly displaying work by contemporary artists who are consistently pushing the boundaries of creativity in Scotland and beyond.” 

The Printmaker’s Art: Rembrandt to Rego opens at the National on Saturday 2 December 2023.  

Tickets are on sale now. 

Still time to see Edinburgh Women’s Aid ‘A Source of Strength’ exhibition

Edinburgh Women’s Aid, (EWA), which marks 50 years of supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse, unveils  ‘A Source of Strength’ exhibition in partnership with Stills: Centre for Photography in Cockburn Street and the University of Edinburgh, which runs until tomorrow (28 October).

The exhibition is part of the Economic Social Research Council, (ESRC), Festival of Social Science, building on research that finds the relationship between children and mothers can help improve the impact that domestic abuse has on children. 

It offers visitors the chance to view photographs created by children and mothers about their relationships together and the importance of them, and the role they play in protecting and supporting children to recover from domestic abuse.

Dr Fiona Morrison, Programme Director for Childhood Practice, University of Edinburgh, said:  “These beautiful photographs were taken by children and women, which celebrate the strength that children and mothers find in each other when living with and recovering together from domestic abuse.” 

Over the past two years the charity has provided support to 440 children and young people in Edinburgh who have experienced domestic abuse with everything from giving them a safe place to stay in a refuge, specialist housing support, legal advice and help securing employment.

Linda Rodgers, CEO at Edinburgh Women’s Aid, said: “This exhibition is a great opportunity to honour and showcase the strength of the relationship between mothers and children experiencing domestic abuse.

“Thanks to everyone who helped bring it together including the families we have been working with, Stills Centre for Photography and the University of Edinburgh.”

The free exhibition at Stills: Centre for Photography is on from11-5pm at Cockburn Street until tomorrow – Saturday, 28th October.