Tag Archives: Exhibitions

Art with friends

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DOK Artist Space, The Steel Shed, in Leith

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Antony Gormley figure, Photo: Peter Stubbs

I’ve recently been lucky enough to have separate visits from a couple of dear friends – one from Union Hall in Ireland and the other from London.  Both were keen to see as much art as possible during their trip to Edinburgh so although I am a relative newcomer to the city, I was the tour guide, which turned out to be not at all as hopeless as it sounds.  One of the places I’ve been fascinated by since moving to Leith is the DOK Artist Space an extraordinary steel shed, constructed with ship-building techniques, that sits on the Dock just near the Royal Yacht Brittania and the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.  This time with my friend we were lucky enough to find someone inside, so we had a guided tour from artist Karen Fleming.  It is a brilliant space in a stunning location and they do terrific work in offering and campaigning for affordable artists’ studios and yet this historic building faces eviction from its site.  Tragic.  I hope a new home can be found for it.  We waved to the solitary Antony Gormley figure out at the end of the rotting pier, staring out at a forlorn housing development and proving to be a popular staging post for seagulls.  One of the galleries we really enjoyed is a new-ish one in gallery-laden Dundas Street, with the unusual name of &gallery.  We were particularly taken with the work of Liz Douglas, with its delicate palette and intriguing layering.  The Dovecot Tapestry Studios has become a regular haunt of mine and my London friend was as taken as I am with this tranquil hub of creativity.  One of its most recent commissions has been to work with the Turner prize-winning artist, Chris Ofili, whose tapestry ‘The Caged Bird’s Song” has just been unveiled at the National Gallery in London as part of an exhibition entitled “Weaving Magic”.  Another highlight for us was the Scottish Parliament building, which I know has its detractors but which I find visually stunning.  I’m a great fan of polished concrete so that might explain it.  I’ve been wanting to visit for years, not least to see an artwork by Alison Kinnaird called Psalmsong, which combines glass etching and music and didn’t disappoint.  

My Cat Knows What I’m Thinking

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One of the plates at the exhibition “My Cat Knows What I’m Thinking” by Eric Great-Rex

Not being a cat person, I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly attracted by the title of the latest exhibition at Edinburgh Printmakers.  But I’m really glad I overcame my cat prejudice because otherwise I would have missed a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining two-way talk with the artists Eric Great-Rex and Lesley Logue.  The waltz through the 40 years of Eric’s printmaking practice revealed how he came up with the title for his solo show – that he routinely talks to his cat about his ideas, hopes, fears and dreams. He says he’s always found it insightful and funny the way we process our inner thoughts through objects and animals: ” I’m interested in how we venerate our daily lives and how we talk to ourselves in order to make sense and give meaning to our experiences”.  The most inspiring aspect of the evening for me was Eric’s palpable enjoyment and dedication to his craft; even after four decades of printmaking and ceramics he still gets a kick out of revealing the print from the bed of the press and opening the kiln door to see the results of the firing.  Also affecting, was the way he spoke about the manual engagement with the materials, that working with one’s hands is the most human of activities.  The text on the plate that ‘spoke’ to me most strongly is the one shown here.  It reads “Courage to be Imperfect”.  It has connotations of Leonard’s “there’s a crack in everything  … “, and an evocation of his words is always welcome.

Concrete and Glass

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Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan, Entropy, 2016, 60 x 30 x 30, Photo: Simon Bruntnell

The first time I came across Harry Morgan’s work was in London a couple of years ago during my ongoing research into the subject of impermanence in contemporary art materials.  I found an immediate affinity with his sculptures and his interest in the mutability of materials.  His sculptural pieces, which often combine concrete and glass, exploit the period of flux of the materials, i.e. the period when they are both moving from being liquid to solid, accepting the other’s presence and then solidifying to epitomise the qualities of strength and vulnerability.  Last week I had another opportunity to see the results of his processes, that “fluctuate”, as he puts it, “between accident and control”. This time the exhibition is in Edinburgh at The Scottish Gallery where he currently has his first solo show.  It was a real treat to see his latest endeavours; to my eye, they have an extraordinary, quiet presence that rewards spending time with them.