Tag: art exhibition

Once in a lifetime swap for Turner watercolours as Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest comes to Scotland

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest

National Galleries Scotland exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy building

1 – 31 January 2025

Admission free

Turner in January | Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest | National Galleries of Scotland

In January, National Galleries of Scotland is kicking off the 250th birthday of much-loved artist, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), with a special celebration. From New Year’s Day, visitors to the treasured Turner in January exhibition can marvel at a new selection of over 30 watercolours that have never been seen before in Scotland, in an exchange with the National Gallery of Ireland.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest, opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh on 1 January 2025. The free exhibition includes a watercolour of Edinburgh from 1801 that has never been displayed in the city before.

This once in a lifetime exhibition is a celebratory take on a keenly awaited and much-loved annual tradition that has been taking place since 1901. Renowned art collector Henry Vaughan owned over 200 drawings, watercolours and prints by Turner, which he divided in his will between galleries in Edinburgh, Dublin and London.

38 of these watercolours were given to the people of Scotland, on the condition that they are only displayed in the month of January, when light levels are at their lowest. Because of this, these works still possess a freshness and an intensity of colour, almost 200 years since they were created.

Now, in an exciting exchange, simultaneous exhibitions will see Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest make a special trip to the National Galleries of Scotland, while Scotland’s Vaughan Bequest will go on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Those familiar with Turner in January are sure to notice how both collections complement each other. Visitors will be able to marvel in sweeping seascapes, dramatic landscapes and spectacular cities.

The most famous British artist of the 19th Century, Turner’s career spanned over 50 years. He experimented constantly with technique and colour, creating landscapes that still astonish today. In his younger years Turner toured Britain extensively, as war made travel to Europe impossible.

He first travelled abroad in 1802 and from 1819 onwards he undertook sketching tours abroad almost every year, visiting France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

The panoramic Edinburgh from below Arthur’s Seat (1801) will be on display in the city it depicts for the first time. A moody view of Auld Reekie captured on Turner’s first visit to Edinburgh in the summer of 1801, dark storm clouds loom over Edinburgh Castle, rain pouring on the horizon as cows drink peacefully in the foreground.

When Turner first visited the Alps in 1802, the trip transformed his understanding of landscape, which was reflected in his boundary-pushing depiction of the mountains, rocks and glaciers. In The Great Fall of the Reichenbach, Switzerland (1802), Turner emphasises the sublime drama and majestic height of the 200-hundred-foot waterfall by including a tiny, ant-like figure on a rocky outcrop to indicate scale.

Both the Scottish and Irish Vaughan Bequests include expressive watercolours painted on Turner’s visit to the Aosta valley in the Alps in 1836, where the artist uses a great variety of watercolour techniques – scratching out, sponging out and working freely in wet watercolour – to depict his beloved mountains.

Venice, city of light and water, held a special fascination for Turner. His third and final visit was in August 1840, when the stormy summer weather inspired a series of tempestuous watercolours recording dramatic atmospheric effects around the city. Storm at the Mouth of the Grand Canal (1840) comes to Edinburgh from Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest.

Also on exhibition will be The Doge’s Palace and Piazzetta, Venice (1840), a golden evening view of gondolas and fishing boats clustered against the backdrop of Venice’s most celebrated buildings.

Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest includes outstanding examples of watercolours created to be engraved and published as a print series.

A highlight of the exhibition will be A Ship against the Mewstone, at the Entrance to Plymouth Sound (c.1814), from Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England. A Royal Navy ship is shown labouring in heavy swell at a notorious danger point on the Devon coast.

In this series, Turner aimed to record the landscape and working lives of places and people living along the south coast. In Clovelly Bay, North Devon (c.1822), another jewel-like watercolour from the same series, he shows in great detail the work of quarrying limestone.

Also on show will be A Shipwreck off Hastings (c.1825), which was probably produced for Turner’s Ports of England print series.

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest truly is a first for Scotland, with most displayed in their original frames and even Henry Vaughan’s original display cabinet.

Charlotte Topsfield, exhibition curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Exchanging Vaughan Bequest Turners is an idea that Edinburgh and Dublin have been discussing for a long time.

“We are so excited to be working together on this historic swap in Turner’s anniversary year.

“It will be such a marvelous celebration for the people of Scotland to enjoy – a real once in a lifetime opportunity to commemorate a very special painter.”

Anne Hodge, exhibition curator at the National Gallery of Ireland said: “I am delighted that in January 2025 visitors to the National Galleries Scotland will be able to see Turner’s wonderfully expressive vision of a rainy Edinburgh along with all 31 watercolours that Henry Vaughan decided to leave to Dublin.

“It is a great privilege for me to have worked so closely with colleagues in Edinburgh to make this project a reality.”

Turner in January: Ireland’s Vaughan Bequest opens at the Royal Scottish Academy building on 1 January, and is free to visit.

This exhibitionhas been created in partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland. It is supported thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery and Sir Ewan and Lady Christine Brown.

RESIDENT I – First group exhibition at Colstoun House

RESIDENT I

The first group exhibition at Colstoun House, featuring work from eight of its residency artists in August

Friday 2 – Sunday 11 August 2024

Colstoun House, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 4PA

Quickly following its opening exhibition by Joe Grieve in May 2024, Colstoun Arts mounts its second public exhibition showcasing eight artists who have all attended the Colstoun Artist Residency at Colstoun House in East Lothian since October 2022. 

Opening on Friday 2 August, for two weeks the work of artists Raffael Bader, James Dearlove, Lara Cobden, Suhayla H, Marina Renee Cemmick, Joe Grieve, Angelique Nagovskaya & Jen Hitchings will be shown in the historic Colstoun House on the East Lothian estate. 

Globally recognised and exhibited Leipzig artist Raffael Bader’s tension filled landscapes will sit alongside Ingram Prize and Bloomberg New Contemporaries artists James Dearlove’s surrealist takes on the Scottish countryside.

Both will be exhibited alongside Jen Hitchings, so well known for her otherworldly landscapes featured in a number of exhibitions in North America And Europe; Lara Cobden, a member of the Norwich 20 Group focussing on memory and sense of place, responding to the natural world around her; Ely based Suhaylah Hamid, an internationally exhibited self-taught artist who recently announced a collaboration with the V&A on a limited edition print series; Marina Renée-Cemmick, a figurative Artist working across multiple disciplines featured in King Charles’ Royal Collection, whose practice is founded on drawing and human observation; Angelique Nagovskaya, a Canadian-American artist and RCA graduate currently based in Washington DC, who attended Colstoun to spend time developing new ideas for her eminent practice; and Joe Grieve, whose solo exhibition The Other Side was the first exhibition Colstoun Arts mounted in May 2024, and whose work is in collection in over 20 countries.

Annually Colstoun Arts invites 6 to 8 artists to spend a month or more at its home, Colstoun House just outside Edinburgh in East Lothian. During this residency they produce a cohesive body of work inspired by the house and grounds.

During these residencies, Colstoun Arts works with artists to provide learning and development opportunities, introduce them to industry experts, and provide them with guidance.

The Colstoun Arts experience goes well beyond the traditional residency, welcoming artists to become part of life on the estate, experiencing the highs and lows of normal life whilst also providing a dedicated secluded environment with top class studio facilities to push the boundaries of their practice. ​

Beginning in 2022, this residency programme is designed to develop the careers of a handful of artists each year in a meaningful way, it also provides an opportunity for established artists to take a break from their practice. It is hoped that over time the alumni of this programme will begin to help one another and provide meaningful contributions to Landscape, Nature Inspired and British Art.

These new works will be shown alongside more historical works from the Colstoun Estate Collection, including numerous works by RSA artists past including Sir John Watson-Gordon and Joshua Reynolds, as well Italian landscapes and Dutch still lifes. Both elements play important roles in Colstoun Arts’ vision to become a national museum of landscape and nature inspired art.

Alongside the exhibition the main floor of the house will be open to public viewing for the first time, the curatorial focus of this project being to display historical artworks and antique furnishings collected over generations alongside contemporary artworks. The parkland will be open to the public, and the dining room will be open to members of the public for tea and coffee.

Mackie Sinclair-Parry, Director of Colstoun Arts said: “The variety of work created by our selected artists and the impact the seasons here at Colstoun have played on their work is astonishing.

“This exhibition serves as the conclusion on a residency experience we hope will stick with artists for the rest of their lives and provide benefits across business acumen as well as artistic practice. 

“Art has always been a part of Colstoun’s history. When you look at the walls and see hundreds of years of art collected through the generations, it becomes obvious why we should create a sustainable, progressive way in which to collect contemporary art and present it to the wider population.

“It started with the Colstoun Artist Residency but is now being expanded to include public exhibitions and collaborations with external galleries and museums.”

Colstoun Arts will support the acquisition of artworks for the Colstoun Arts Collection which includes works from established contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst, Gavin Turk, Peter Randall-Page, Conrad Shawcross, Tracey Emin, Carolina Mazzolari, Robin Friend, Alina Zamanova and more as well as emerging artists Raffael Bader, Luke Alen-Buckley, Lily Lewis, Joe Grieve, Lara Cobden, Suhaylah H., James Dearlove and Marina Rennee-Cemmick. 

Opens tomorrow: Take a voyage of discovery with Glasgow Boy Sir John Lavery

An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location

National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building

20 July–27 October 2024

Admission £5 – £19

An Irish Impressionist | Lavery on Location | National Galleries of Scotland

Indulge your wanderlust at the National Galleries of Scotland’s summer exhibition, An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location, opening this Saturday (20 July) at the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh.

Dip your toes in the sun, sea and society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, viewed through over 90 works by renowned Glasgow Boy, Sir John Lavery. Lavery on Location brings together an array of the Irish impressionists most notable paintings, including many works not usually seen by the public and nearly 20 paintings exclusively on display in Edinburgh.

Tickets are on sale now Book tickets | National Galleries of Scotland.

Take a trip through the extraordinary life of the Belfast-born artist, Lavery (1856-1941), from Scotland to New York via Paris and Morocco. Lavery never travelled without his painting kit, and An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location explores some of the locations he visited and was inspired to paint.

Move through the exhibition to experience the glamour of a lost era, with visits to the races, tennis matches and the golf course, or simply relaxing on warm days with Lavery’s family and friends.

See sumptuous portraits, impressionistic landscapes and idyllic scenes of leisure against a backdrop of Tangier, St Jean de Luz, Palm Springs and the Venice Lido. Be whisked away to Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Italy, as well as to cities such as Glasgow, Seville, Monte Carlo and New York.

Indulge in beautiful seascapes of Tangier from the Ulster Museum, as well as spectacular portraits such as Idonia in Morocco from Glasgow Museums and Hazel in Black and Gold from the Laing Art Gallery.

From the highly finished to the swift impressionist sketch and a uniquely personal style, the range of subjects on show is staggering.

Born in Belfast, where his father ran a small wine and spirits shop in North Queen Street, Lavery was orphaned at the age of three, and moved to his uncle’s farm at Moira before being sent as a ten-year-old to a distant relative in Saltcoats, Ayrshire. He first ran away to Glasgow at the age of 15 and went on to take early morning and evening drawing lessons at the Haldane Academy, completing his training at the Académie Julian in Paris.

Along with a number of his fellow Scottish students Lavery worked at the colony of Grez-sur-Loing, near Fontainebleau, which will be the focus of the first room of An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location. Then, back in Scotland in 1885 he became one of the leaders of the much-loved group of artists known as the Glasgow Boys. The Glasgow Boys rebelled against the stuffy Edinburgh-based art establishment and challenged the Academy’s emphasis on historical painting. Instead, their subjects were drawn from everyday life, often painted outdoors.

Lavery quickly attained an international reputation in his early 30s when he received a gold medal at the Paris Salon, the most prestigious art exhibition in the world at the time. Enjoying great success after his move to London in 1896, Lavery combined his talents as a portrait painter with an interest in contemporary events and was later knighted in 1918.

As his style developed Lavery began to share some of the principal tenets of Impressionism. The movement was developed in France in the nineteenth century and is based on the practice of painting outdoors and on the spot. Using lively brushstrokes, these artists often produced works of art rapidly in a single sitting. Like Lavery, the Impressionists were interested in capturing the changing effects of light, frequently exploring this through landscape scenes painted in the open air.

With seven themed rooms, An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Lavery’s oil sketches for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888, where he had his big break and was commissioned to paint the State Visit of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria.

Journey through Lavery’s travels in North Africa, with mesmerising paintings of snake charmers and camps on his adventures to Fez. For over twenty years, his villa in Tangier, surrounded by beautiful gardens, would become a winter retreat.  

Then experience Lavery’s time as an Official War Artist with scenes in hospitals, submarine pens and air raids during World War I. In the final room you can experience the luxurious lifestyle of post-war society, including visiting the Henley Regatta and racing at Ascot.

Lavery experienced enormous social, political and technological change during his lifetime, yet, despite his travels and worldly experience, Lavery’s connections to home – to Scotland and Ireland – remained strong throughout his long career.

Senior Curator Prof. Frances Fowle said: ‘Lavery was a versatile painter who was equally at home in Scotland, North Africa and the French Riviera. “His paintings offer, on the one hand, a nostalgic glimpse of a bygone era and, on the other, a modern world of sunshine and leisure.

“Technically he was a true impressionist, intent on capturing a particular moment or atmospheric effect – perhaps night falling on Tangier, or early morning light, dancing on the crest of a wave.”

Guest Curator Kenneth McConkey said: ‘In a career that spanned over sixty years, Lavery’s output was immense. He saw carthorses become ‘horse-power’, windjammers transform into steamers, and flying machines reborn as air liners.

“Against a backdrop of immense social and political change, in the land of his birth, he witnessed the first cracks in the British Imperial entablature. Visual reporting skills, perfected in Scotland, took him to extraordinary situations and while his works develop in fascinating ways, their basic premises – setting down what was before him – remained constant.

“The same remarkable hand that brought us a Dutch Cocoa House in 1888 takes us to a tea-table in Palm Springs in 1938.”

This exhibition is organised by the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, in collaboration with National Museums NI and the National Galleries of Scotland.

For more information and to buy tickets visit An Irish Impressionist | Lavery on Location | National Galleries of Scotland.

Contemporary Closure exhibition at granton:hub

Edinburgh College Art Students Invite You to Celebrate ‘Contemporary Closure’ at Granton Hub!

Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) HND year 1 students are seeking closure, and you’re all invited to the party with an end-of-year exhibition. 

Contemporary Closure is an art exhibition being held at granton:hub (Madelvic House), put together by first-year CAP students to celebrate the end of their first year at Edinburgh College’s Granton campus. 

Join the HND CAP students on opening night, 31st May from 6pm – 9pm to help them celebrate. You’ll get to see a preview of the work and meet the next wave of contemporary artists over drinks and nibbles. 

The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th. Times vary, with the exhibition being open 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.

Gareth Hutchison, events co-ordinator, said of the event: “The amount of exciting creative talent emerging from Edinburgh College ‘s Contemporary Art Practice course at Telford Campus is astounding and needs to be presented in a public gallery.

“granton:hub is delegated to showcasing the very best of young & emerging artists in its monthly exhibitions program.

“Contemporary Closure’ exhibition at granton:hub gallery brings together a motley crew of art students. Showcasing their own unique view of modern life, through a year long period of creativity, joy, tears and sweat.

“Before this summer’s festival circus comes to Edinburgh town, why not choose to visit a public art exhibition in the heart of Granton, by some of Edinburgh’s very own home-grown-talent and support local artists embark on a journey outside the safety of the academic walls to showcase their fantastic artworks to the public.”

Contemporary Art Practice student and co-organiser of the event, Bronwen Winter Phoenix, said: “I’m so excited that we’re able to celebrate the end of our first year of CAP in such a great location! Granton is becoming quite an exciting place to be for art at the moment, so it’s fantastic to be a part of that. 

“I hope people will come along to view our work – which is really varied as we all have our different styles – have a bit of a party, and see what we’ve been up to as CAP students!” 

Official blurb for the exhibition 

What makes closure contemporary? When it’s put together by a motley crew of contemporary art students, of course! Join us, Edinburgh College’s HND year 1 Contemporary Art Practice students for our end-of-year exhibition, where we’ll celebrate with a party, and a showcase of the recent work we’ve accomplished, on May 31st. On the night, a few of us will be available to chat about our work and experiences of CAP 1 over drinks and nibbles. 

The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th, 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.

The exhibition will feature paintings, prints, sculptures, collages and more, with themes including nature, technology, rituals, the body, and mental health (for visitors with children, parental discretion should be advised). 

Exclusive artists’ video screenings

On Sunday 2nd June at 2:30pm, come along to an exclusive preview showing of never-seen-before videos from some of the artists, along with a ‘Meet the Artists’ Q&A. Free prints and zines from some of our artists will be available on the day – while they last!

About granton:hub

A community-based creative and cultural Centre in Granton, Edinburgh, granton:hub is based in Granton’s historic Madelvic House.

We are a member-driven charitable organisation that aims to elevate Granton’s profile and provide a focus for Granton’s diverse and evolving communities. granton:hub is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCO46708), and is managed by a small team of volunteers.

granton:hub is located within Madelvic House, Granton Park Ave, Edinburgh EH5 1HS. 

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

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. 

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.

The exhibition 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. 

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.

About the exhibition: 

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

National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two 

Belford Road, Edinburgh 

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 

New exhibition at St Columbas

Next Tuesday, 9th April, our latest exhibition will be unveiled outside the Iona Cafe at 1pm.

The exhibition will be comprised of artworks created by members of the ‘Make Your Mark’ group, and it would be fantastic to see as many people as possible there to support the artists!

There will be a range of works encompassing a range of different mediums and subjects, and the Iona Cafe will be open as normal to provide food and refreshments!

Image Credit- D.M.V.Stead- ‘Creeps’

FISHING – new exhibition of work inspired by the North East coast – opens 3 May

FISHING by Stephanïe Vandëm

Opens 3 May until 15 June

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh EH1 1SR.

A new exhibition inspired by Scottish fishing communities and seascapes of the North East will go on display at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of the TRACS programme during Edinburgh Tradfest from 3 May to 15 June 2024.

Artist Stephanïe Vandëm imaginatively combines oils and mixed media materials salvaged from harbours, beaches and shipyards to create large-scale works that evoke the linkages between the communities of the North East of Scotland and their fishing heritage. 

Drawing from the rich traditions of Renaissance and Latin American art, FISHING will present 13 semi-sculptural works that explore the pressing environmental and identity concerns of our time. 

Rubber gloves, ropes, nets, buoys, and crab shells are used to give tri dimensionality and texture to the works. Plastic sushi fish drained of their soy lifeforce cling to the surfaces making us ponder their infinite life expectancy and the material’s detriment to all sea and land-living creatures.

Screws, nails, and other metal bits left by the artist’s late husband populate the paintings’ surfaces recreating the colours and textures of a busy shipyard. Pinecones turned into lobster tails; twigs turned into crab’s eyes all used to create compositions that connect us emotionally to Time, Identity, Heritage, and the Environment.

Artist Stephanie Vandëm explains: “My work is firmly rooted in classical principles, merging time-tested oil painting techniques and semi-abstraction, to pressing contemporary themes and universal human struggles, resulting in monumental semi-sculptural paintings.

“The pieces resemble an archaeological find sedimented in cement, sand, metal and found objects. They create puzzles, connecting the personal, political, and spiritual elements of my own life and practice. Aberdeenshire’s motto, ‘from mountain to sea’ inspired me throughout this collection.”

Sculptural pieces in the exhibition include boxes encased in sand, cement and the ‘bones’ of a metal creel looking like they have been hauled from the sea depths, bearing witness to the many lives lost across generations and continents. 

The tactile and playful nature of the work invites audiences to interact with it by moving the ropes and nets, to create new images and build stories within stories to explore beneath the surface layers leaving space for personal interpretations.

Steve Byrne, Director of TRACS said: “As someone who grew up on Scotland’s east coast, I was immediately struck by the familiarity and strong imagery of Stephanie’s work.

“It resonated with me and the sense of place I feel about that part of the world. I recognised the shapes and colours of the kind of work taking place in harbours up and down the coast that have been a key part of local communities for decades. 


“In celebrating the contribution of fisher folk, the exhibition gives voice to those involved in a precarious industry that has so much heritage, tradition and craft to explore, which often mean a great deal to fisher folk and their families. 

“The works also challenge us to think about our impact on the environment through the inclusion of shore finds, opening up conversations around sustainability.

“At TRACS we look forward to helping safeguard that living heritage and lore, the traditions and customs of fisher communities through our developing work with Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Scotland.” 

The exhibition will also be complemented by information panels on traditional craftwork related to fishing communities, in partnership with the Scottish Fisheries Museum at Anstruther. 

About the artist

Brazilian by birth and educated in Paris, London, New York, and Florence Stephanïe Vandëm worked extensively abroad before settling in the Northeast of Scotland. Her style lies between realism and abstraction, painting and sculpture with a strong sense of narrative derived from the artist’s Latin American roots.

The artist’s creative practice is a fusion of videography, soundscapes, installations, social media participation and mixed-media that creates engaging and powerful contemporary pieces.

With some awards under her belt, Stephanïe Vandëm works in her studio between the mountains and the sea in the idyllic Scottish countryside. The artist’s strong background in the world of portraiture also sees her work on many private commissions, including painting the formal portrait of the Bishop of Aberdeen.

Her pieces can be found in many national and international private collections such as the luxury Fife Arms Hotel, owned by international art dealer Iwan Wirth.

FISHING is part of TRACS’ (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) programme of events showcasing Scotland’s traditional arts and cultural heritage.  

TRACS has been recently appointed as an advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Scotland and this exhibition showcases ICH in practice through highlighting the unique ways of life, practices, and rich folklore of fishing communities on the east coast of Scotland. 

New exhibition at hubCAP Gallery

CHRIS BYRNE’s MACHINE RUMOURS

A new hubCAP Gallery exhibition from Chris Byrne, entitled Machine Rumours, will celebrate the 1,000,061st birthday of Art Administration – and the week-long celebration will kick off with a birthday party on Monday 19th February. 

The opening event (5pm – 9pm) complete with birthday cake, drinks, and nibbles, will be followed by an artist talk and week-long exhibition, all taking place at The Gatehouse (located on the grounds of Edinburgh College, Granton). Full schedule of events below. 

In 1963, French Fluxus artist Robert Filliou suggested that 1,000,000 years ago, there was no art. But one day, on the 17th of January to be precise, Art was born. According to Filliou, it happened when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water.

In 2007, Canadian artist, curator, and art administrator Brian L. MacNevin declared that a little over a month after Art’s Birthday, over a million years ago, the object (a sponge in a bucket of water) from the Birth of Art was discovered, labeled artwork, acquisitioned, evaluated, documented, conserved/cared for, placed on exhibit, and pedagogically interpreted.

Henceforth 19th February became Art Administration’s birthday.

Edinburgh-based artist, educator, and curator Chris Byrne will celebrate the occasion of Art Administration’s Birthday with a presentation of new work developed and produced in response to the birth of art some 1,000,061 years ago.

Chris said: “For some time now I’ve been interested in how ideas are manifested through art. Not just the ideas themselves, but also the processes by which they become part of an artwork, and the modes of addressing the viewer.

“There is always an element of craft skill inherent in making any artwork, but art cannot be reduced to a display of virtuosity. Much of my work over the past decade has attempted to move away from the craft paradigm (complete escape is not possible) without crossing into the territory of anti-art. It’s more about which elements constitute an artwork, and how these are arranged for the spectator.

“The installation presented at hubCAP gallery centres around a sound recording made on Art’s Birthday 2024. The work seeks to integrate this artefact into the context of a celebration for Art Administration’s Birthday, and creating an exhibition within the gallery space. The objects, technical means and rhetorical gestures chosen are intended to echo some of the multi-layered origins and histories of ideas and practices referred to in the work.” 

The week’s events will run as follows: 

Birthday Procession: Leaving from HND CAP Studio (B202) Edinburgh College going to Gatehouse.   

  • Date: Monday 19th Feb 
  • Time: 5pm 

Exhibition Preview & Birthday Celebration:

  • Date: Monday, 19th February
  • Time: 5 – 9 pm

Exhibition Hours:

  • Dates: Tuesday, 20th – Sunday, 25th February
  • Time: 12 – 4 pm daily

Artist’s Talk:

  • Date: Tuesday, 20th February
  • Time: 1 pm

About the Artist:

Chris Byrne engages with visual culture as an artist, curator, educator, and writer. Originally trained as a sculptor, Chris has long-standing interests in the moving image, networked and collaborative art practices, internet art, sound, and performance.  He has organised numerous projects, exhibitions, performances, and residencies with artists across Scotland and internationally. Chris lectures in Context & Theory at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee. He currently leads the research dissertation component of undergraduate Design courses across DJCAD and teaches communication theory for Communication Design students.

About hubCAP Gallery:

hubCAP Gallery is an exhibitions and events organisation led by a rotating team of student artists from the HND Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) course at Edinburgh College. Founded in 2019 as part of the HND CAP Professional Practice and Exhibition program, hubCAP provides a platform for artists through a varied program of exhibitions, events, and publications. The self-funded organisation aims to foster dialogue, learning, and engagement with college, local, and wider communities.

Visit our website for more details: https://hubcapgallery.com

Spartans Pop-Up Shop & DJ Event

WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER from 5 – 6.30pm at SPARTANS

In September this year, our young people held a successful Art Exhibition at the arts venue Out Of The Blue Drill Hall. At the opening event of CREATE TO ESCAPE, the young people sold prints of their artwork and raised just over £600 for for the charity Turn The Tables DJ, which offers workshops to improve mental health for those affected by homelessness. 

 Following on from the success, there will be an ART POP UP SHOP & DJ evening where some of our young people will be doing a DJ set, demonstrating the fantastic work they have been doing with their Music teacher Hope, here at the Alternative School. There will also be a chance to purchase some of the incredible Artwork by young people.

 Wednesday 13.12.23 5-6:30pm

Spartans at 94 Pilton Drive, upstairs in the Robinson Trust Suite

Please come along and support our young people in their final fundraising effort for this worthwhile charity which they chose to support!

Walking Like a Tortoise … in Granton!

‘Walking like a Tortoise’ is a mixed media art exhibition based on a series of Granton walks at Madelvic House, the Granton Hub, 29 September to 1 October 2023.

Using maps of the area from 1870 to the present day, Tamsin Grainger skirted the urban and coastal landscapes of Granton, looking into hidden corners, seeing from unlikely angles and meeting those who live and work there.

Through photography, words, video, textiles and found materials, she asks how the act of slow walking can develop a sense of belonging somewhere, and how mindful noticing of the area, on foot, promotes appreciation of, and connection to what is home.

Tamsin been walking around Granton for 14 years now, alone and with other members of the community, and has become interested in the alterations that people and the climate have wrought.

Although places transform all the time, the built-up environment and natural spaces of Granton have recently been changing at a rapid pace; there are new no-go areas, streets and stations with new names, and views which have disappeared.

Slowly wandering the boundary and making artwork has stimulated a deeper understanding of local history and heritage, but how much of this will have soon vanished?

Is Granton disappearing and being replaced by the Edinburgh Waterfront?

You are invited to walk part of the boundary on 29th September in a free Community Walk (4-5.45pm), and to take the exhibition trail (29th September, 6-9pm, 30th September and 1st October 10am – 6pm) and to consider: ‘Where is the boundary of Granton?’

‘Is it important to you that things stay the same or do you welcome the changes which are happening?’ ‘Do you feel part of the decision-making process which is precipitating these changes?’ And, ‘Is belonging somewhere important to your sense of who you are?’

Make an important contribution to our collective memory-making by coming along to add your markers to the map and to discuss and share your views with each other. Granton residents and those who live in other parts of the city and country are all welcome.

Exhibition times: Friday 29th September 4-5.45pm Free Community Walk, the Granton Boundary.

Friday 29th September 6-9pm Private View with refreshments.

Saturday and Sunday 30th September / 1st October 10am to 6pm. All welcome.

Community Walk: Further details on Eventbrite –

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/693412023027…