Edinburgh:Edimburgo by Hunter, at Custom Lane until 26 May 2017

Had a wonderful fix of Ibero-American culture last week, which began at the opening of the Documentary Film Festival, Iberodocs, held at Filmhouse, and ended in Leith at Custom Lane with an exhibition by a young Spanish artist, Hunter – otherwise known as Félix Gordero.  As well as the type of  group scene shown here, there are also extraordinarily powerful drawings of faces he has encountered in Edinburgh.  The way he uses spray paint evokes the urban environment of the city and with the charcoal he achieves a beautiful delicacy of line.  I was reminded when I saw them of the British artist, Alison Lambert, whom I’ve long admired.  Both artists focus on the connection between people and their environment – in Hunter’s case, he literally incorporates the city into the figures.  The effect is that they are like mirrors reflecting back their surroundings.

Meanwhile, I’ve been discovering new parts of the city myself, as I wander about distributing posters and flyers for the forthcoming Hidden Door festival.  This is a non-profit and volunteer-run, multi arts festival, which this year takes place in the old Leith Theatre, an art deco gem that has been left derelict and decaying for nearly 30 years. It’s hoped this Festival will provide the initial spark to transform the theatre into a major Edinburgh arts venue.