SCOTLAND

 /// ABERDEENSHIRE

until 28 May | Seventeen
Under New Moons, We Stand Strong
Under New Moons, We Stand Strong sculptural exhibition comes to Seventeen in Aberdeen, with a special edition of Urban Knights.

until 29 May | Peacock Visual Arts
The Brutalist Playground, Assemble and Simon Terrill 
Exhibit exploring post-war design for play, as part of Look Again Visual Art & Design Festival.

until 25 June | Grey’s School of Art
Degree Show at Gray’s School of Art
Exhibition of Painting, Contemporary Art Practice, Three Dimensional Design, Fashion & Textiles, Communication Design and Commercial Photography.

21 May – 14 June | Newave Gallery
Ade Adesina ‘Awake’ Solo Exhibition
Bespoke limited edition prints by a multi-award winning artist.

18 June | Peacock Visual Arts
PMC Silver Jewellery Making Workshop
Led by our resident jewellery expert Renee, this workshop lets users experiment with Precious Metal Clay.

///DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

28 – 30 May | Various
Spring Fling
Scotland’s premier open studios contemporary visual art and craft event – this year featuring 94 artists, makers and designers.

 /// DUNDEE

until Autumn 2016 | The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum
Draw the Line: Old Masters to The Beano  
The exhibition shows the vast and all encompassing range of creativity expressed in drawing from Dundee’s nationally significant fine art collection.

/// EDINBURGH

until 21 May | Ingleby Gallery
Kevin Harman: No Man’s Land
Positioned somewhere between painting and sculpture these large format abstractions are at once seductively beautiful and challengingly physical.

until 31 May | Arusha Gallery
Ilona Szalay – Queen of Swords
Ilona Szalay’s oil and resin on wood paintings trace a path through a world of conflict and power play, a place of rigid hierarchy and fierce competition.

25 May – 13 July | Summerhall
Statussignal
Hamish Chapman, Jordan Munro and Jordan Pilling present an exhibition acting as a level playing field upon which three boys come out to play.

26 May – 31 July | Summerhall
Imagining Faith by Isabel Rocamora
This work centres on her 22 minute film triptych Faith: an intimate observation of the act of worship of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem.

7 June | Summerhall
Cultures of Prayer: Faith to Faith in Conversation
Panel discussion to coincide with Isabel Rocamora’s exhibition ‘Imaging Faith’, with Rev. Dr Harriet Harris, Rabbi David Rose and Sohaib Saeed.

throughout the year | Various
Screen Academy Scotland Courses
Professional short course training (screenwriting, cinematography, film, TV & cross-platform production & image & sound editing).

throughout the year | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre
Writing Courses
Courses in Novel Writing, Poetry, Short Story Writing, and Screenwriting.

/// GLASGOW

until 29 May | Street Level Photoworks
Catrine Val: Political Letters
New collection of staged photoworks around the neglected canon of women in philosophy, including some new work specific to Scotland and the theme.

until 20 May | Many Studios / Project Space
Fátima Rodrigo, UNAP
A piece of video/sculptural work that examines the problematic socio-political relationship between higher education and the Peruvian government

until – 29 May | Street Level Photoworks
Mari Hokkanen: Set & Setting
Every image in Set & Setting is a scene on its own presenting a story of different allegories and world phenomenon.

until 22 May | MANY Studios
The Heart of the City
A solo exhibition by Fatima Rodrigo (Peru) as part of Glasgow International Festival 2016.

until 5 June | CCA
Intermedia, The Women’s Unit
Outcome of a year long residency at Glasgow Women’s Library by Mandy McIntosh, influenced by projects like Judy Chicago’s Womanhouse.

until 22 June | Tramway
The Net Effect
Thinking about a future in making, curating or teaching Art? Discover this new visual arts group for ages 16-25.

until 10 July | CCA
Jerwood/FVU Awards: ‘Borrowed Time’
Two moving-image works by selected artists Karen Kramer and Alice May Williams.

until 14 May | Cyril Gerber Fine Art
Scottish Horizons
A new exhibition of watercolours and drawings by well-known artist Tom H. Shanks RSW RGI PAI.

until 31 May | Glasgow Women’s Library
Palestinian Embroidery
Exhibition of workshops by Claire Anderson and documentation of Palestian women’s embroidery co-operative ‘Women in Hebron’.

21 – 22 May | Street Level Photoworks
Photobook Design Weekend
Turn your photographic project into a high quality 8×10 photobook.

25 May – 5 June | MANY Studios
Trading Stories
Poet Tawona Sitholé harnesses a breadth of stories from The Barras from yesteryear to the present day.

23 June | CCA
Eavesdropper: Hanna Tuulikki performance
Artist, composer and performer Hanna Tuulikki works with voice and gesture to create immersive spaces that unearth relationships with places

28 May – 9 July | Hillhead Library
Departures
The nine participating artists responded in disparate ways to the broad theme of migration.

29 May | Who Art Thou
Drypoint Etching Workshop – with Mobile Print Studio
In this workshop you will learn the art of Drypoint Etching and create an edition of your own. Materials included & all levels of experience welcome.

2 – 4 June | CCA
Cryptic Nights: Therefore 2 – Anna Lucia Nissen
Enter an immersive audio-visual experience combining sculpture, video projection and live music devised by artist Anna Lucia Nissen.

3 June | CCA
SWOU: What do sex workers want?
Screening of three short movies exploring the diverse realities of sex workers around the world, followed by a Q&A with sex workers and allies.

4 June – 31 July | Street Level Photoworks
Govan/Gdansk
New exhibition linking the shipyards of Govan in Glasgow and Gdansk in Poland and their post-industrial decline and resilience.

7 June | The Butterfly and the Pig
Quotidian Issue 2 Launch
celebrate the success of Quotidian: a literary magazine’s Issue 2 and… *drum-roll* the launch of our second print edition! How exciting!

9 June – 2 July | Compass Gallery
The Golden Age: 90 Years of International Film Posters
Planned to coincide with the Edinburgh Film Festival 2016, this exhibition will include many rare, collectible and international original film posters.

21 – 23 June | Tramway
A Bit of Bite
A brand new show about the role of young people in contemporary politics.

25 June | The Glasgow School of Art
Transitions Out of Fine Art Education
Fine art staff from across the UK will come together with students, graduates, academics, and industry professionals to share practice.

28 June – 3 July | Various
Glasgow Comic Festival
A week-long festival of talks, screenings, performance and exhibitions at CCA and across the city, and Comic Con at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

31 July | CCA
MAP: Voicing the Archive
Audio recordings of past MAP contributions, voiced by their authors and installed at a listening station in the CCA and Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

12 – 18 September | various
Illustrious Glasgow
Glasgow Doors Open Days is working with illustrator Rosemary Cunningham to share 10 stunning illustrations of Glasgow buildings.

First Saturday of the month | The Lighthouse
Repair Cafe
On the first Saturday of every month our team of fixers will be on hand to help you fix your broken items, in MAKLab, Gallery One.

ongoing | Crownpoint Studio
Corridor Exhibition
Exhibition by VAU Members, view by appointment only.

ongoing | The Botanics
Art Classes in the Botanics
Weekly tutored classes in Glasgow Botanic Gardens, for anyone wishing to develop their artistic abilities.

ongoing | The Hidden Lane Gallery
Margaret Watkins: The Kitchen Sink (And other classics)
A major retrospective selection of some of the classic images which established Margaret Watkins as one of the most innovative artists of the 1910s & ’20s.

ongoing | 306 White Studios
Silk Screen Printing Workshops
Be your own designer for the day, learn silk-screen printing here at Shapes Of Things Ltd & create your own bespoke product every Wednesday & Saturday.

///HELMSDALE

until 19 June | Timespan
VIK PRJÓNSDÓTTIR
Icelandic design collective showcase their textile work in an exhibition that brings together contemporary design and traditional craft.

///HUNTLY

26 – 28 May | TBC
White Wood Forum: Art and Sustainability
Discussions centre on social and cultural perspectives of sustainability: local and global understandings and lived practices around the world.

///KIRKALDY

until 5 June | Kirkcaldy Galleries
Shelters
Festival of Architecture exhibition examining ‘shelters’ using examples from Lloyd Kahn’s US Shelter Publications to contemporary Scottish.

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ELSEWHERE

///BIRMINGHAM

11 June | St Barnabas Church
Clipping the Church by Tereza Buskova
Sign up to be involved in an art piece adorning a Birmingham church with ornate baked bread and encircle it with a living garland of 100 people.

///LINCOLNSHIRE

14 May – 25 June | 20-21 Visual Arts Centre
Liz West: Our Colour Reflection
The installation will transform the interior of the former St John’s Church building housing the gallery by using over 700 mirrors.

/// MANCHESTER

19 May – 18 November | MadLab
WordPress courses
Beginner, Intermediate, and advanced wordpress courses led by co-founder Mike Little.

25 – 26 June | MadLab
Hands-on with the Internet of Things
Everything from picking the right prototyping platform and means of device-device communication, through to different network protocols.

/// OXFORDSHIRE

5 – 7 August | Braziers Park
Supernormal 2016
Supernormal is a three-day, experimental arts and music festival taking place at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire.

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Do you want your event added here? Read this blog to find out how.

E215 by Scott Willis

As a filmmaker, I get excited by the process of retrieving materials from the idea of an objective reality, similar to found object art. An absurd reality that does not have a structure. It is the deconstruction of those findings within the films post-production that excites me; new meanings emerge and the world becomes more intriguing.

When editing I get a comfort from the delusion that I am able to make sense of it all by directing narratives. You are able to strip down a physical world and allow an ethereal form to take over. I am told the act of meditation provides similar results and is more cost effective?

As my work process is derived from the idea of retrieving materials and treating film as if it were sculpture. My films have mainly been focused on objects and the people they come into contact with.

E215 began by observing a fridge that was abandoned in a disused quarry pool. I felt that the object floated with a sense of elegance, ignoring that it was decaying and was no longer suitable for its primary function. I realised that the fridge stuck to a daily routine and could be located at specific spots of the pool at certain times. This allowed me to plan shots to showcase its individuality.

I made E215 at art school while I lived with my gran. Did you just snigger at me?
Incorporating audio from a conversation we had, the films visuals then evolved into her psychological landscape. She was unaware I was recording so the audio feels intimate, not forced and very much her.

E215 is an insight into a meditative space where a woman reflects on her physical self change. Overall the film highlights that there is still life and beauty to be obtained from entities often left behind.

More: Website | Vimeo | Twitter

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My Process explores the practice of artists and creatives. Read more articles here. 

Interested in writing one? Contact us

Mail Boxes Etc. Izzy Bocchetti

The highly individual installations for The Rose Street Project create a public gallery right on the high street, providing public art open to everyone visiting the city, day and night until early January.

The project is a result of measures put in place by Essential Edinburgh to improve Rose Street’s identity and community engagement. Nestled between George Street and Princes Street, Rose Street and its independent retailers are often overshadowed by the major retailers nearby. This project aims to help put Rose Street on the map by boosting footfall and increasing activity there.

Murdo Maclean’s Anupa Gardner

Social Bite Louise Smurthwaite

The result has been less about traditional Christmas display, but instead has created highly individual installations in a new, public context, demanding new and fresh approaches to the invited artists’ creative practices.

More: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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For more creative delights we’ve Spotted on the web take a look here.

TRG3 is a project series from The University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery. The project showcases pioneering work and provides opportunities to young and emerging artists from home and abroad. Those involved in the programme have access to Edinburgh University’s resources and support from the expert curatorial and technical team to help make new ideas a reality.

So far the 2015 programme has included works from Steven Anderson, Jordan Pilling, and Michael Poetschko.

With a potential budget of £1,500, this opportunity is open to individual Scotland based artists or collectives working in any medium.

Details and conditions of application can be found on their website.

Deadline: 30 October

More: Website | Twitter

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Find more opportunities in our weekly bulletin here.

Against the backdrop of Edinburgh in high summer (think festival, tourists, doubled population, general fringey-ness) Edinburgh College of Art is once again going through the Degree Show motions, this time in the form of its Masters show. The School of Art offers 11 students graduating from the ‘Contemporary Art Practice’ course. There is less of the sprawling, chaotic, ‘run of the building’ feeling that the earlier summer degree show offers. Instead, a smaller more concise offering allows this year’s Contemporary Art Practice class to present a thoughtful show. Spread across 5 rooms, there is a sense that the Masters students have approached the show with sensitivity to the curatorial process.

Phoebe Mitchell by Gareth Easton Photography

Upon entering the first room on the ground floor there is an immediate sense of refinement and a call and response between the spaces of the artists involved. In particular the work of Kirsty Macleod and Phoebe Mitchell sit well alongside each other. Mitchell’s paintings appear to be exercises in erasure that seem to question the very nature of painting itself. Thirty-one paintings in total, it is an impressive effort from the artist, upon reading about Mitchell’s ‘ritualistic routine’ the amount of work, alongside the intuitive mark-making (and more specifically ‘un-mark making’ if there is such a word), call to mind the obsessive nature of what it means to paint, or to be someone who makes things in already over-saturated circumstances.

This pre-occupation with making sits well alongside the work of Macleod, this time it is the medium of sculpture that questions the processes of making. Parts of instruction manuals are laser cut into perspex and lie strewn around an array of plinth type structures. In a nod to traditional materials the back wall of the space is clad entirely in wood, a striking relationship to the 3D printed elements that sit in front of it. There is a playful humour in this work, Macleod doesn’t give the audience this on a plate, but on further inspection there is an absurdity to the foam plinths, and the placement of individual elements is done with a wry eye for detail.

Work by Kirsty Macleod, image by Steve Fuller

Kirsty Macleod by Gareth Easton Photography

Alongside this, there are two other offerings in this room, Tom Rodgers and Abigail Smith, both working in Black and White, but with distinct differences. One working firmly with the camera (Rodgers), and the other adamantly without (Smith). Rodgers presents a quiet body of work, surrounding themes of home through traditional means of black and white photography. Whilst Smith rounds off the room’s pre-occupation with making. The processes of traditional film come to the fore in her room of slide projectors, complete with nostalgic mechanical clunking.

Moving upstairs, the first room encountered is an airy one, with the work of Malcolm O’Connell and Danny Lamb. O’Connell’s work is striking upon entry, filling the floor space with large framework structures of wood and glass. There is a sense of the work bringing the outside in, from the echoed reflections through ECA’s vast windows, to the green behind his work ‘Storholmen’ which I am told echoes the green of the doors in the building seen through said windows (a nice geographical touch). There is an honesty to materials within the work, and the effect against Lamb’s garish perspex and spray paint offering is jarring. Old meets new in this room. The quiet material strengths of O’Connell’s sculptures are offset by the frenetic Photoshop style brushstrokes of Lamb’s paintings. The room brings the mind back to the processes of making that were so apparent downstairs. There is a preoccupation with the precariousness of traditional processes, and this room serves to highlight the juxtaposition of traditional art and design values versus digital processes.

Work by Malcolm O’Connell, image by Steve Fuller

Next door there is an immersive environment by Fu-Le Chao which is at first confusing with a large woven hammock or platform hanging heavily in the middle of the room. The look is that of a stage set, rendered out of materials such as paper and card. It is only the addition of a small unassuming screen behind the door that points you to the subject matter, a panda clambers languorously from a bamboo strewn platform, it is a live feed of the webcam footage from Edinburgh Zoo. It is hard not to be sucked into this viewing material, and after a few minutes in the mirroring environment I leave with thoughts of voyeurism and otherness swirling uncomfortably through my mind.

This feeling is soon quashed by the in-your-face messages of Cat Meighan’s sculpture, her giant dazzle painted ‘£7K’ (roughly the amount the students have paid for this particular course) alongside a large set of scales shout at you. Cynical yet playful, it is a bold piece that commands the space well, balancing a large room. The large scale paintings of Gezi Yao take up an entire wall, my first impression is that they are hung strangely high, perhaps demanding to be revered. The high hang is echoed by Yin Xuerong’s photographic work, but on this occasion it has the opposite effect, the images seeming to try and remain out of sight of the viewer.

The final room on my travels reveals one last surprise: Martian Law. Emma Potterill’s offering to the show comes in the form of a live performance, and if caught during the act, rounds the show off in a cacophonic way. Complete with darkened space, live band and hand-made boiler suits, Potterill’s performance is buzzing with crude intensity, and serves well as the final piece in an eclectic but overall well-polished show.

Edinburgh College of Art Masters show continues until Monday 24 August, 11am-5pm daily.

See more about 2|1|4|1 Collective on Central Station here.

More: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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See more Degree Show reviews on Central Station here.

I’m Amanda Robertson and I am currently going into my fourth year of studying Film, Media & Marketing at the University of Stirling. This summer I had the opportunity to work with Summerhall TV and help film and edit videos covering the Edinburgh Arts Festival.

The beginning of the Arts Festival in Edinburgh was very exciting. The first thing we filmed was Charles Avery’s Tree. The amount of media covering the unveiling was slightly more than I ever imagined for Waverley Station. However, it was nice to be able to be involved in filming such an important figure in the arts world.

I particularly enjoyed filming in the Dovecot Galleries. Firstly, the art work by Kwang Young Chun was incredible. His detailed work was fun to film and it meant that we could be slightly more creative with the camera to fully capture the intricacies of his work. As it was the launch of the Arts Festival, Dovecot Galleries was filled with different media people as well as art enthusiasts. I was very aware the whole time we were filming that I was most likely photobombing other people’s pictures and videos of the event. I hope they filmed my good side.

In general, the whole process of filming various significant artists can be quite daunting, as well as creating work that they are happy with. However, I feel like along the process I learnt so much about the artists and their work and how to capture the best version of each exhibition. The arts festival is a busy time in Edinburgh but it is extremely exciting. By experiencing the festival from behind a camera, I feel that I was involved in some way in the creative excitement surrounding the city.

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Luci Wallace, Project Coordinator for Summerhall TV, an arts news organisation based in Summerhall. We make 2 – 3 minute videos covering contemporary arts news and events around Scotland. I coordinate what we shoot, and the content that appears across our websites artinscotland.tv, summerhall.tv and writerstories.tv, as well as our social media channels.

We started the day by visiting Charles Avery’s Tree no.5 at Waverley Station’s concourse. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the press, we grabbed the artist for a quick chat about his work. It was really interesting to see a piece of work like this in the station, and watching members of the public interact with it.

After that, it was a quick jaunt up the road to Dovecot Studios for the Art Festival’s press launch and to interview the festival’s director Sorcha Carey, about the programme. We were introduced to the beautiful work of Korean artist Kwang Young Chun, and spoke to his British representative, Grey Skipwith, about the work as well. One thing I’ve learned from press meets is to always be prepared for extra interviews!

We then made our way down to the Fruitmarket Gallery to meet Phyllida Barlow and talk about her newest exhibition, Set. The work was incredible, filling the lower and upper galleries, and completely transforming the space. We had a lot of fun filming this one as there was so much, and it was great to speak to Phyllida about her work.

Once filming was wrapped, it was back to the office to upload our footage and get to work on editing. A lot to digest but a great chance for Amanda to put her editing skills into practice.

A big thanks goes to Allison Thorpe and Victoria Mitchell from Sutton PR, who pulled together the interviews with Charles Avery and Sorcha Carey, Lizzie Cowan and the Dovecot team for introducing us to Grey Skipwith, and Louise Warmington at Fruitmarket for arranging our interview with Phyllida Barlow.

Find out more about some of the exhibitions currently on at Summerhall:

The Thermos Museum | until 31 August

David Sherry : One Million Years of Laughter | until 5 October

Glyn Thompson : A Lady’s Not A Gent’s | until 5 October

For more art videos, check out SummerhallTV Director Dave Rushton’s Top 5 selection from their archive on Central Station here.

More: Website | Vimeo | Facebook | Twitter

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The Scottish Society of Artists, one of Scotland’s major exhibiting societies, has always used the Royal Scottish Academy for its annual shows. The society was set up to represent the ‘more adventurous spirits in art.’ Its current strapline emphasises an open outlook: ‘international art in Scotland, Scottish art internationally.’

The 118th Annual Open Exhibition will take place from 21 December – 18 January. Selected works will be eligible for a number of cash prizes, residencies and exhibition opportunities on offer.

There are two options for submitting work:

1. Digital submission of *installation and large scale work (over 180cm) – proposals/sketches will be considered at this stage.
Deadline: 30 August

2. Digital submission of all work under 180cm.
Deadline: 4 October

* Includes all site-specific works, digital artwork, video, sound, performance and any artwork measuring over 180cm in any direction.

For full guidelines, FAQs and to enter your work online please visit here.

More: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Find more opportunities in our weekly bulletin here.

25-year-old Edinburgh College of Art sculpture graduate Alistair Grant shares how he started an artist studio space and gallery.

The Number Shop (TNS) project started back in March 2014 when I (Ali) was looking for a studio initially just for myself and was sticking my nosey nose into unoccupied buildings. Previously I’d not had any luck finding a space at the established studio complexes here in Edinburgh. This property had been vacant for a few years, to the point that it had almost become invisible to a passerby, even though it’s a street front property with big windows! I made contact with the Council who still owned the property and they agreed to let it out to me on a low cost monthly basis as it was vacant and slightly dilapidated. At the time I had no prior experience in attempting something like this so I was really winging it and pretending like I knew what I was doing. We thought we may well only have the building for a few months, but those few have turned into many.

The project quickly morphed from being a solo venture into what we are today – a shared studio of emerging artists with a project space and rolling program of projects – when I saw the potential in the building. It’s widely considered, and in some ways perhaps a self fulfilling prophecy that Edinburgh does not have enough contemporary arts spaces that support emerging artists. However I believe that in response to this attitude we are witnessing a genuine change with various similar projects to TNS being created in the city. Starting out, the focus of our purpose and intentions were very specific. On reflection, I realise this limited us in our actual usefulness to the greater arts scene. I wanted to offer affordable and flexible space to artists (which we continue to do) to recent art school graduates in an effort to smooth the transition from student to practising artist, by keeping the creative momentum which is often lost post-graduation. I felt that this disruption could leave some young artists lacking direction, time and money for making their own work, when out in the real world more rationally practical elements of daily life often take over. The worst case scenario here is that students who have studied art for four years or more do not carry on doing so after college (something I temporarily experienced and found really frustrating) or that they leave the city for artier pastures (Edinburgh does not have a great artist graduate retention). Having this narrow post-student focus was quite useful in giving the place a sense of direction to help get it off the ground, as it helped both the studio and me feel like we had a defined function and clear goals. However now that we are off the ground this limits who we can support, as really we would love to be able to get all types of artists involved, some of whom may not have attended art school, or long past emerging yet still in need of cheap, flexible spaces and a community to work in. This shift in ideology has meant we have simply broadened our catchment to ‘early career’ or ‘emerging’ artists.

Renovation was awful. It was mostly done by myself with much appreciated help and support from studio members and friends. Ripping up carpets (creating fluorescent dust clouds), removing thousands (not exaggerating) of staples by hand from the floor with pliers, stripping textured wallpaper (the texture of hell), painting weird-smelling outdoor brickwork and sanding down carpet glue that could only have been made from horses…But out the other side and looking at the building’s current state, it’s awesome to see what we have been able to achieve and the difference that has been made.

With that memory of renovation fading I’m always thinking about ways to develop the studio, scoping out empty potential buildings, thinking up ideas for new projects and building links with other arts orientated groups; workshop facilities, galleries, colleges. We are interested in renovating the rugby club next door but would need a hand with that, if you want to parter up and get involved please let us know!

With it being a small building we have space for ten artists, our group of artists was formed through an initial call-out, some of whom are still here! Open plan spaces give the artists within each room the freedom to be flexible with how much space they need for each project. We don’t have high end equipment or facilities, so it’s up to the artists to bring personal equipment and sharing is encouraged. I think we still have a kind of DIY/low-tech appearance, which is something that I am actually quite happy with, because that’s very much what we are about.

The combination of having both space to make art and a place to exhibit art has been critical in our (humble) success, the expansion of our creative network and shaping what we are today as well as our value to the Edinburgh contemporary art scene. Having the ‘Project Space’ exhibition room has given us an outward-facing attitude that allows us to make connections and has enabled us to become a destination. Whilst the resident artists are able to show work, most exhibitions have actually been from outside artists who have asked for shows. There is no cost for that and I am keen to keep that free and as accessible to outside artists as possible.

2015 has been a big year for us and a massive step up in our attempts at showcasing our studio residents to a high standard and to new audiences. In March we were a venue for the Edinburgh International Science Festival and our ‘Primordial Soup’ group show was presenting the results of collaborations between the artists of The Number Shop and scientists working in a variety of fields, all made possible by working closely with ASCUS – art and science group. We are currently installing (in the classic manic and messy fashion) for our first ever Edinburgh Art Festival show, in which all the studio residents are presenting new-made art in a variety of processes such as painting, installation, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and illustration. Our ‘Work Out’ exhibition programme runs throughout the month of August with events and workshops. We are about to install a massive awning, which is also a painting, go us! Providing these types of opportunities and deadlines for the studio members is a delicate balance of offering a structure and a platform to present on, whilst allowing time and space to pursue personal projects on individual timescales with minimal disruption.

TNS presents WORK OUT as part of Edinburgh Art Festival which is open daily from 12-5pm until 30 August. For more information, visit the Edinburgh Art Festival website here.

TNS is located at 188 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9RT.

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From time to time we feature galleries and spaces that showcase & encourage grassroots artists. Browse through more of our Featured Venues. 
Contact us to talk about a feature on your venue.

The 2015 EAF Programme features performances, guided tours, workshops and talks by some of the world’s leading artists and curators throughout 30 July – 30 August. Highlights include a series of artist performances to run alongside the 2015 EAF Commissions Programme, uniting some of the most innovative artists from across the globe to create work under the theme of The Improbable City – a response to the unique fairy-tale architecture and setting of Edinburgh. Performances include The King Must Die by Marvin Gaye Chetwynd; SING SIGN: a close duet by Hanna Tuulikki; and a special one-off live performance combining electronic music and field recordings of dolphins and whales by Mexican artist Ariel Guzik, to accompany his first exhibition in the UK. Each year EAF’s popular Festival Detours brings a series of intimate live performances by leading and emerging stars to the city’s museums and galleries. This year’s programme will see acclaimed comedian Phill Jupitus perform live in Inverleith House; poet Carol Ann Duffy at Talbot Rice Gallery; A Pocket Full of Grimms, a children’s theatre show, at Jupiter Artland; and upcoming music sensation, Man of Moon, at Collective.

The 2015 Events Programme also sees the return of EAF Explorers, a special activity trail for families; Art Late, a popular series of specially programmed late openings and events; and an EAF Film Club to accompany Platform: 2015, an exhibition of early career artists selected by open call; as well as the festival’s Tourist-in-Residence, a series of alternative tours of the city led by artist Catherine Street. Street will lead three performative tours exploring some of the more improbable spaces in the city – including The Book of Money, a look at Edinburgh’s longstanding relationship with the financial industry, and a visit to the city’s newest institution, The Library of Mistakes, a reading room dedicated to the world history of economic successes and failures.

The wider festival programme will include regular opportunities to hear artists talk about their work, including Charles Avery in conversation with Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Director Simon Groom at Ingleby Gallery; a tour led by Tara Donovan at Jupiter Artland where the artist will select several works within the sculpture park’s permanent collection that reflect her exhibition; a panel discussion with curators from the Hanne Darboven Foundation and Talbot Rice Gallery, on Darboven’s legacy as one of the 20th century’s most idiosyncratic conceptual artists; and a part-improvised, group-vocal acoustic performance work by Deb Marshall created within and in response to the vast, neo-classical ‘Adam Dome’ of H.M. General Register House.

Away with the Birds, 2014 by Hanna Tuulikki

PERFORMANCES: 2015 EAF Commissions

Artists present performances as part of their work created for Edinburgh Art Festival’s 2015 Commissions Programme, housed in exciting off-site locations.

30 July, 8, 15 & 29 August | Fountains Close
Hanna Tuulikki
SING SIGN is an intimate performance devised for the closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Composed by Hanna Tuulikki, and performed with Daniel Padden, the work combines music and gestures drawn from British Sign Language to reflect on how our experience of the city is inseparable from the the languages that we speak. The performance on 15 August will be followed by a BSL Tour of the Old Town led by Karen Forbes at 3:15pm.

1, 22 & 29 August | Old Royal High School
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd
Known for her deliberately shambolic and lo-fi performances, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd’s new work The King Must Die explores the ancient Greek cult of the Mother Goddess, immersing us in an intense and supremely pagan celebration of feminity and female power.

1 August | Trinity Apse
Ariel Guzik
Mexican artist Ariel Guzik gives a live soundscape and performance of a specially devised set combining electronic music and field recordings of whales and dolphins, with Alejandro Colinas and Emilio Galvez. Field recordings by Nature Expression and Resonance Research Laboratory.

Sea of Cortez, 2007 by Ariel Guzik

Home Made Tasers, Studio 231, New Museum, New York, 26 October 2011 – 1 January 2012 by Marvin Gaye Chetwynd

ARTISTS’ TALKS

Enjoy a late breakfast with this year’s commissioned artists. The artists will discuss their work with specialists from areas related to their practice, over coffee and croissants.

30 July | Ingleby Gallery
Charles Avery in conversation with Simon Groom, Director of Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

1 August | Trinity Apse
Ariel Guzik in conversation with Mark Simmonds OBE and Nicola Triscott, Arts Catalyst

2 August | 9 – 11 Blair Street
Julie Favreau, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd in conversation with author Edward Hollis, and curator Sorcha Carey.

9 August | 9 – 11 Blair Street
Hanna Tuulikki in conversation with writer and curator Ella Chmielewska.

16 August | 9 – 11 Blair Street
Emma Finn in conversation with Sorcha Carey.

23 August | 9 – 11 Blair Street
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd in conversation with Professor Neil Mulholland.

EAF FILM CLUB

4 & 18 August | 9 – 11 Blair Street
Accompanying Platform: 2015, this year’s Film Club offers an opportunity to see artist films from across Scotland. Join us for an evening of screenings curated by artist-led gallery, Embassy in Edinburgh and Luke Collins, Project Manager for artist’s moving image agency LUX Scotland, Glasgow.

ART LATE

Art Late is a series of specially programmed late openings and events, taking in live music, performances, artist talks and tours. This year offers even more opportunities to enjoy the evening programme.

13 August | 6 – 10:30pm
Including Ingleby Gallery, Old Royal High School, Collective, Stills, Edinburgh Printmakers, Inverleith House and GARAGE

20 August | 6 – 10:30pm
Including Talbot Rice Gallery, Stills, Number Shop, National Portrait Gallery and Dovecot Studios, with a special Curator’s tour of the exhibitions at Dovecot Studios, a 10% discount on selected textile products, a weave demonstration by Apprentice Weaver Ben Hymers and a gun-tufting demonstration by Trainee Tufter Vana Coleman. Featuring band Miaoux Miaoux to close the evening, with additional support from Blue Moon.

TOURS

Each year the festival works with locally based artists, offering unique perspectives of the city through one-off tours. This year, artist and writer Catherine Street will be leading three new tours of venues across Edinburgh taking inspiration from the theme of this year’s commissions programme: The Improbable City. Each afternoon during the festival, there are guided tours of venues, leaving from the festival Kiosk on EAF Kiosk on 9-11 Blair St, EH1 1QR. With different routes to choose from, these are a great way to find your way through the city and explore the festival. Additionally, every Friday at 1pm, you can end the week with a Walking Lunch Tour. Armed with a brown-bag lunch, this tour is designed to give you a snapshot of the festival during your lunch break.

EAF takes place from 30 July – 30 August. For the full festival programme and booking details visit www.edinburghartfestival.com or go to the Edinburgh Art Festival Kiosk on 9-11 Blair Street, EH1 1QR.

See Festival Director Sorcha Carey’s initial response to the festival programme and exhibition recommendations on Central Station here.

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As part of Edinburgh Art Festival this summer, internationally renowned Korean artist Kwang Young Chun presents his first solo exhibition in Scotland at Dovecot Gallery. From 31 July to 26 September 2015 Chun’s AGGREGATIONS will be on display, uniting the traditions of making and Eastern philosophy with the artist’s painterly interest in American Abstract Expressionism.

Kwang Young Chun, Aggregation 06 – JN028, 2006, 250cm diameter, mixed media with Korean mulberry paper

Kwang Young Chun, Aggregation 06 – JN028 detail, 2006, 250cm diameter, mixed media with Korean mulberry paper

After graduating with an MFA from Philadelphia College of Art in 1971, Chun spent 20 years interested in Abstract Expressionism as a medium to convey his personal turmoil with the divide between ideals and reality. Chun then sought a new way to communicate his art in a Korean sentiment. A childhood memory of mulberry paper medicine packages with name cards – hanging from the ceiling observed during a visit to a doctor practising Chinese medicine – sparked a significant shift in the artist’s trajectory from 2D to 3D making. By attaching small wrapped packages depicting Korean and Chinese characters to a flat surface, Chun had found a method by which to express his gestures and words. He has since constructed colourful and complex assemblages comprised of triangular forms in various sizes which he views as ‘basic units of information’ creating both harmony and conflict. They are cut from Polystyrene, wrapped in Korean mulberry paper and tied with hand-twisted mulberry paper string. Mulberry paper or ‘Hanji’ literally means “the paper of Korea”. Hanji is not simply paper; the strong vitality of the paper means it can be used in a multitude of ways. There is an old saying that paper lasts a thousand years and textiles (such as silk or hemp) last five hundred, reflecting the superior strength of paper over cloth.

Throughout his work, contrasts are continually apparent – between personal and mass produced, between soft organic forms and jagged cracked fragments, between the whole and its various parts held in perfect tension, and between the specific traditions of a culture and the international language of art. Aggregations bring together a series of works representing both the artist’s reconciliation with the Abstract Expressionism movement and a reflection on the history of human life.

Kwang Young Chun, Aggregation 13 – NV045 RED, 2013, 163cm x 230cm, mixed media with Korean mulberry paper

Kwang Young Chun 14 – NV058 (Dream 21), 2014, 163cm x 131cm, mixed media with Korean mulberry paper

Chun’s mindscapes have the appearance of quoting from textile – where repeat rhythms and rich and blended colours are combined in smaller elements to build up an overall pictorial whole. Dovecot Gallery seeks to promote the work of artists who share concerns for the touch of the human hand in making and crafting works of contemporary art. Chun highlights the areas of crossover and connection between expressive fine art with the detailed precision of lovingly crafted hand-made objects. The results are visually and texturally rich pieces whose immediate visual impact brings them completely into the present moment – belying the long hours of meticulous making and care that has gone into their construction.

AGGREGATIONS is open from 31 July to 26 September 2015 at Dovecot Gallery, Edinburgh. For further details check Dovecot and see the full Edinburgh Art Festival programme here.

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Find more events in our weekly bulletin here.