Galleries - August 2015

C2 SCOTLAND GALLERIES AUGUST 2015 art Scotland national & festival Edinburgh Capital Art One of Edinburgh’s most illustrious sons, David Hume, famously described Scotland as a “historical country”. Today however, with all the fall-out from the referendum and the sweeping changes in the political landscape after the recent general election, the great Enlightenment philosopher might now be forced to call the country of his birth a “political state”. Yet despite all the media frenzy politics seem to have made little impact on this year’s Edinburgh Festival art programme. At The Fruitmarket Gallery the British sculptor, Phyllida Barlow shows her monumental pieces constructed from simple, non-fine art materials. The crafting of materials is also at the heart of DovecotStudios’ two exhibitions. The Korean installation artist Kwang Young Chun combines his visual response to Eastern philosophy with his particular take on American Expressionism. There is also a retrospective honouring the career of Bernat Klein, who in the 1960s transformed the image of textile production by embracing new colour technology and was sought after by all the major fashion houses and championed by the likes of Vogue and Elle. On offer at Gallery Ten is another stunning craft exhibition – Glass, with works by 30 British and International contemporary glass makers. Down on the Shore, The Leith Gallery has a mixed media show of painting and ceramics featuring Marion Drummond, Paul Kennedy and Dana Lazarus-Cass. The Scottish Gallery is showing the ever-popular James Morrison with his new panoramic views of Angus and the West Coast, along with Joan Eardley which includes works by her contemporaries, documentary photographs of the artist by the renowned Oscar Marzaroli and more personal ones by her close friend, Audrey Walker. That other perennial favourite of Scottish painting is showing at the Open Eye Gallery with John Bellany, an exhibition selected by his widow, Helen from the Bellany’s own family collection. For a traditional flavour of Scottish art go to Anthony Woodd on Dundas Street, 19th and 20th C. oil and watercolour specialists, where they have new acquisitions by artists including Ken Howard and Robert Neal. By complete contrast the Edinburgh College of Art’s 2015Degree Show on later this month to coincide with the Festival, highlights a modernity and freedom of style with a rich variety of work, echoing the university brief for students ‘to demonstrate inventive responses to the world through curiosity and exploration.’ Finally, there is a positively eye-catching exhibition at Arusha Gallery also on Dundas Street, by award winning painter Ilona Szalay, comprising her trademark oil on glass paintings, including free standing works at the gallery’s tall Georgian windows. Bill Hare Scotland’s Riches For all that Edinburgh has to offer during the Festival, art in Scotland during August is never a single city affair – its old rival Glasgow has plenty on show as always. And this is also a good month to be looking at Scotland’s art further afield. At the wonderfully named Lost Gallery for example, some 40 miles west of Aberdeen, up the Don Valley and into the Cairngorms, painter Peter Goodfellow and his wife Jean have been running their large and beautiful space for 21 years. Their current show displays a strong and idiosyncratic collection of top painters and sculptors – many of the latter out of doors and in the most spectacular of locations. Equally spectacular as a setting for art, the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, is very much en fest this month with its Open Studios event (14 to 17 August), spread across some 34 venues and including everything from painting, printmaking and sculpture to jewellery, ceramics textiles and candle making, providing a wonderful excuse to tour one of Scotland’s most M uqing Shu ‘The Last Day’ at Edinburgh College of Art 2015 Degree Show

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg4NDg=