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Tag: exhibition

2025 Graduate Exhibition Announced.

Published May 5, 2025

What’s at Stake represents the culmination of two years’ work by emerging artists graduating from the HND Contemporary Art Practice Course at Edinburgh College. The exhibition showcases a dynamic range of contemporary practices reflecting the artists’ rigorous investigation of material and conceptual concerns. 

Working across painting, sculpture, performance and digital media, the artists have developed distinctive voices through independent practice and collaborative exchange. The resulting body of work reveals a shared commitment to expanding the boundaries of contemporary art practice while maintaining thoughtful engagement with its traditions. 

These graduates demonstrate significant artistic development with most progressing to advanced study at prestigious undergraduate and post graduate programmes across the UK,  while others will develop their practice independently. Their trajectory speaks to both their individual talents and the programme’s success in cultivating critically engaged practitioners. 

What’s at Stake is an exhibition that offers audiences an opportunity to encounter a new generation of artistic voices at a pivotal moment in their professional development. The works on view represent both an achievement and a promise—of continuing innovation and meaningful contribution to the cultural landscape. 

Accessibility Information:

Venue Access:

Single step access at the front of the venue will have a temporary ramp at the opening event and upon request during general opening times

Internally the rear of the venue is accessible via 2 steps which will have a temporary ramp for wheelchair users during the opening event and upon request during general opening times.

Toilet Facilities:

There are no public toilet facilities in the venue.

Parking: A mix of paid and free on street parking are availble in the surrounding area:

Public Transport:

7, 14, 21 busses stop on Ferry Road withing 20m of the venue

10 bus stops on Great Junction Street approx 200m from Venue

11 bus stop on Newhaven Road approx 200m from the venue

Joan Snyder: Body & Soul at Thaddaeus Ropac

Published March 4, 2025

The following review was first published by CAPetc… Year 1 student Beth Cockerline on her personal blog on 15th February 2025. We are delighted to re publish the post on the CAPetc… website.

Joan Snyder, exhibits her first retrospective in the UK with Theddeus Ropac. Covering Snyder’s 60 year career, a vicissitude of work explores abstract expressionism with a unique and spirited amalgamation of the autobiographical.

Fresh Flock Painting with Strokes and Stripes 1969

Facing the sweeping staircase, of the floodlit gallery, I was instantly drawn in by the light and ephemeral abstraction of Fresh Flock Painting with Strokes and Stripes 1969. On first appearance a delicate depiction of the female figure, Snyder’s joy of the flesh is palpable in a subtle blending of the paint to create form and structure. The flame hot pink of a wound reminds us of the vulnerability of the body and as the eye travels down the composition the hourglass figure appears emptied out: sharing every trauma and horror on the canvas. The flocking, a tactile, oozing wound or growth? A pulsating organ? A centrepiece reaching out to us from the violet blue background which floats the body in space celebrating all the agonies and beauty of the flesh.

Flanking this piece are two similarly sensitive works, recalling Frankenthalerian soak-staining (Veiled Strokes 1969) and an exciting, but economical use of impasto against glowing areas of pastel. Despite invoking elements of colour field from the likes of Rothko, Snyder highlights the singularity of her work in the intertwining of the autobiographical in her work: “It’s an undecipherable abstract language. It’s my language that is speaking and my soul that is being bared. It is my pleasure and pain…”

A Letter to My Female Friends, 1972, and other work of this period speak in a very distinctive language of truncated, heavy marks, cut off before they’ve had the chance to convey their full story; a stumble of stuttered utterances recounting an incomprehensible tale. In other works, Wild Strokes, Hope 1971, given more room to breathe and converse, the marks tell a more intriguing story: a marbled universe of dark blue enrobed in wax; a diversity of tone; a stain here, a splatter there; a lightness of pigment lifting the darker tones.

Summer Painter 1994

When Snyder experiments with more representational imagery, the work wanes. In, To Transcend/ The Moon 1985 fat glutenous ripples of pure black, white and peacock blue suffocate one half of the canvas while incongruous sweeps of astral gold and vertical graphic slices of cracked, deep purple, blue and green eclipse the other half.

However, exploring her later work Snyder returns to abstraction and a playfulness which is both joyful and experimental. It’s hard not to grin at the space age knobs and naivety of Summer Painter 1994 and in other works, Theddeus Ropac’s use of the architectural features, fully embrace and highlight the nuance of Snyder’s work.

An artwork by Joan Snyder displayed on a wall in an elegant gallery setting, featuring textured and colorful elements arranged in a wavy rectangular shape.

The final room of the exhibition, and presentation of Snyder’s most recent work, is crammed with joyful abandon- a celebration of nature, experience and life! The recurring motif of the organic ‘pond’ is a dark abyss (Roses for Souls), a portal into another realm and a mystical lagoon luring unsuspecting viewers to a world inhabiting sirens (Come to the Pearl Pond). The energy and confidence of Snyder’s work is palpable and the use of collaged, 3D elements speaks to her earlier sculptural work. While the work can drift into the quaint and sentimental at times, it bounces back with gusto in Man Leaping- a rapturous and flamboyant triumph of freedom.

Body and Soul is an exquisite journey through Snyder’s oeuvre highlighting an energy and passion for the materiality and infinite possibilities of paint that is unequivocal.

“For Reasons Unknown to Me”

Published January 31, 2015

The images below are from the opening of “For Reasons Unknown to Me” a group exhibition at Edinburgh’s Whitespace Gallery that featured new paintings by Beth Carey of CAP1 and sculpture & performance video by ex Foundation student Michael Kay.

2|1|4|1 Call for submissions for drawing exhibition:

Published April 18, 2014

Scottish artist collective 2|1|4|1 presents Draw In, an exhibition exploring the role of drawing in emerging contemporary art practice.

Read more…

Venue – St Margarets House Edinburgh
Deadline – May 31st
Exhibition dates – 8 – 31st July 2014

Taking inspiration from and responding to such sources as The Fruitmarket Gallery’s 2009 Exhibition “The end of the line: Attitudes in Drawing”, publications such as “Vitamin D : New Perspectives in Drawing” and David Shrigley’s 2013 Turner Prize installation, 2|1|4|1 invites participants to consider the role of drawing in their own contemporary art practice.

We wish to explore the transformation of the medium of drawing within the quotidian workings of early career artists today. In a time when numerous artists are subverting the traditional concept of drawing and/or its role to serve their practices, we wish to conduct a critical examination of the expanded medium of drawing in its widest sense. The programme will showcase a diverse range of early career artists’ practice-based productions and specific reactions to this theme.

For more details go to the 2|1|4|1 website: http://2-1-4-1.com/Draw-In-Call-For-Submissions

LOCAL: An exhibition by HND Contemporary Art Practice students

Published February 18, 2013

LOCAL: Heather Lane & James Howden LOCAL 7

Local is an exhibition by HND Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) students from the Granton Campus of the Edinburgh College. The artworks that can be seen in the exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts until February the 23rd are the culmination of a project which was instigated in September 2012 by ourselves, Alan Holligan & Jennie Temple, course lecturers on HND CAP, with priceless support from Lynn McCabe and the North Edinburgh Social History Group.

The Contemporary Art Practice course has been running very successfully since 2007. The course provides a range of excellent opportunities for students to develop a broad understanding of artistic practice.  Alan and I had for some time been discussing how to develop a strong working connection between the CAP Course, the local community and surrounding areas of North Edinburgh. Beyond the college location, and the students who came to us who lived locally, we recognised that although we were part of a Community College (then Edinburgh’s Telford College: a stalwart of North Edinburgh for many years) we felt professional connection to our immediate surroundings could be stronger. We acknowledged that we bussed in and out of work every day, passing through the community in which our workplace was rooted, and also acknowledged that this was something we did not feel entirely comfortable about. As a result we started to discuss the possibility of a project for our HND 2nd year students that we hoped would, at the very least, begin a dialogue with some our neighbours.

We initially approached a couple of local groups to see if they would be interested in meeting with us, and subsequently our students. We couldn’t have anticipated the warmth with which we were greeted and quite quickly we were able to establish links and visits with (the amazing) North Edinburgh Social History Group and North Edinburgh Arts (with whom we already had some links). These visits were incredibly informative and allowed us to immediately understand the local area more fully, and in a way that we had never before: An area steeped in history; an area that had once been rich farmland; an area that had been home to a post-war camp; an area that the Duke of Buccleuch had happily called home, and much, much more. The students were instantly engaged and brought a range of rich contributions to the discussions: amongst the group of 11 students the majority was similar to us; they did not know the area very well. However, there is one current student (and we have had several prior) who grew up in the area and who has been able to give a very subjective insight into his relationship with North Edinburgh, alongside a few other students with friends and relatives in the area.

After these initial meetings and an amazing guided mini-bus tour of the area, generously facilitated by members of the Social History Group, we set the students the project. They were to spend two weeks responding to the local area and draw on the information that they had received from the experts. We would then present the resulting artworks to the Social History Group at the College.

At this point, we were all very excited, but could not have anticipated just how successful and stimulating the project would be. The students worked exceptionally hard from the moment the project started and responded in meaningful, thoughtful and sensitive ways. In retrospect, we realised that the students’ sense of responsibility to the Social History Group and the residents of North Edinburgh meant that they approached the project with a strong sense of integrity and a determination to make artworks that did not patronise or misrepresent the (sometimes sensitive and personal) issues that had been discussed within the meetings. The provision of a very unambiguous context for the artwork allowed the students to work in a way that was fundamentally different to normal project work: they had an audience that they did not know very well, and they were making work which they would themselves present to their audience.

As the initial stage of the project drew to a conclusion, we arranged a date for some members of the Social History Group to come and lunch with us and to view the works. The students were understandably nervous and worried: What if they didn’t like what we had done? Quickly it became clear that there was no need for nerves and all of the artworks were exceptionally well received and prompted lively, important and some emotional discussion amongst everyone present. The success and positive reception of the artworks went far, far beyond our expectations and we all knew immediately that we had to take the project to its next logical step: to exhibit the works, beyond the walls of the college and within the local community. And that is where we are now. The exhibition is an exciting opportunity for the staff and students to continue to engage with our local area and we are privileged to be taking part in what we hope to be the first stage of a long and prosperous collaboration between the students and staff of the HND Contemporary Art Practice course and the local residents and communities of North Edinburgh.

Jennie Temple.

The exhibition will run until the 23rd of February at North Edinburgh Arts, Tuesday-Friday 10am-8pm Sat 10am – 1pm, with a day of discussion and art-workshops to take place on Wednesday the 20th February from 10am until 3pm. Places are free but limited and booking is essential. Please book a place by emailing admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk or call 0131 315 2515

Recruitment is currently taking place for HND Contemporary Art Practice Course at the Edinburgh College, Granton Campus. If you are interested please visit the College website for further information and online application.

www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

North Edinburgh News Article 1

Malcolm Chisholm MSP opens LOCAL Exhibition

Occupied: ContemporaryArtETC students hold festival exhibition.

Published August 16, 2009

Occupied

“Occupied” is an exhibition featuring  work by 3 of ContemporaryArtETC’s current students. The exhibition will feature new and recent work produced during their first year on the ground breaking course at Edinburgh’s Telford College.

The work covers a range of themes including;  journey, protection and the notion of celebrity. Alongside these will be new works by the artists inspired by the current economic climate and associated difficulties of occupation, appropriation and negotiation.

Alan Holligan Curriculum Leader for the Contemporay Art Practice Course at Telford said “I am delighted that the students have shown such initiative and determination to get their work and ideas out in the public domain during their summer break. It takes a great deal of confidence and organisational skill to pull of an entirely self initiated project like this and it is testiment to the callibre of student and to their learnig over the last year.”

The art works will occupy the un-let retail space for 1 week between 18th-22nd of August at the height of the Edinburgh Festival season. The work will cover a broad range of disciplines including, drawing, painting, sculpture and film.

A private view of the work will be held on Monday the 17th August 7pm – 9pm.

Exhibitors:

Gordon Douglas
Lauren McLaughlin
Carrie Gooch

Location: 9 Gillespie Place in Bruntsfield MAP

Times: Tues – Sat  10am and 6pm

ContemporaryArtETC Graduates show opens in Carlilse

Published January 27, 2009

Congratulations to ContemporaryArtETC graduates Jennifer Ferns, Lynn Mouat & Daine Cornwall who’s latest works featured in “Therfore I am” an exhibition of new work at Cumbria University’s Fine Art Campus in Carlisle. The exhibition which is of a very professional standard was developed, organised and promoted by the students themselves giving them invaluable experience in organisation and co-operation.

The opening of the show coincided with a visit to the campus of our current HN students all of whom have applied to the Fine Art course at Cumbria University.

During the visit we were kindly invited to take part in the gallery walk through which involved all the exhibitors giving a short presentation providing valuable insight into their work.

The exhibition “Therefore I am” is open daily from 10am – 4pm until Friday the 30th January

University of Cumbria, Caldewgate Campus, Newcastle Street, Carlilse

City/Town:

Art e-Facts 77: Langlands & Bell

Published November 26, 2008

In 2002 they were commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to research the War in Afganistan. As a result of their the pair produced a trilogy of works including The House of Osama bin Laden, an interactive computer animation of the house occupied by Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s. The work, which utalised state of the art gaming technology of the day allows the viewer to move through digital landscape seeking that which is no longer present.

In 2004 the work won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA) for Interactive Art Installation. The work also featured in their Turner Prize nominated show at Tate Britain in the same year. A second work in the trilogy Zardads Dog which documented the trail of Abdullah Shah, nicknamed Zardad’s Dog because of his penchant for biting his victims before murdering them, was withdrawn from exhibition amid fears that it may be held in contempt of court during the then trial of Afghan warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad.

Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh as part of the Langlands & Bell Films & Animations 1978 – 2008 exhibition until December 13th. Other notable works in the exhibition include 2008’s ‘Departure‘ a ‘Guerilla Website’ linked to wallpaper.com and ‘Kitchen’ their first film collaboration from 1978.

The staff and students of localhost:10076/ would like to thank Zoë Fothergill and the Talbot Rice Gallery for the excellent talk and tour we received at the exhibition.

www.langlandsandbell.com

www.wallpaper.com/art/langlands–bell-digital-exclusive/2369

www.trg.ed.ac.uk/

Contemporary Art ETC 1st Year Exhibition

Published June 11, 2008

Contemporary Art ETC in association with North Edinburgh Arts Centre are delighted to announce the opening of Page 1 of 2 the first year exhibition.

The Exhibition runs until 13th of June and is open dailly between 10 am and 5pm.

” To exhibit in such a well respected and professional community based art centre is a fantastic opportunity for the students to engage their practice with the local community ”

Alan Holligan (Course Leader)