Eden Court Theatre, until 29 December

Brian Crawford Young - Suffusion 4, acrylic on canvas 30.5 x 30.5 cms

FORMED in 2007, A96 Artists’ Collective represents twenty artists from Elgin and the surrounding area. The majority of the group are comprised of graduates from UHI Moray School of Art in Elgin, Duncan of Jordanston College of Art & Design, Dundee, or Grays School of Art, Aberdeen.

Their first group show in Eden Court Theatre, curated by Brian Crawford Young (BA Hons, Moray College School of Art), is the start of an ongoing programme of A96 exhibitions to be curated in turn by members of the group. As a support for professional practice through exhibition and curation it will be interesting to see the programme and emphasis of each show evolve.

Surface presents a varied selection of work throughout three floors of Eden Court Theatre’s foyers. Particularly good use has been made in the hanging of work in the outer foyer of the OneTouch Theatre. The glass end to this architectural space floods the area with natural light and a suite of subtle works by artists including Ailsa Robertson, Clare Cummings, Matthew O’Conner and Brian Crawford Young have been displayed to their best advantage. In a strange twist the sea-related subject matter in a number of these pieces links beautifully to Mary Bourne’s foaming shoreline etched into the floor at the far end of the corridor.

Ailsa Robertson’s works using Photo Emulsion are naturally meditative, with a shallow range of subtle tones to reveal the image. ‘Contemplation’ is an interesting, almost dream-like image due to the play of light and the relationship of the head to its reflection. The shadowed profile seems to hold its own image in the single form of its gaze.

‘Beyond Surface’ plays with the idea of a visual image, here a seascape visibly brushed onto the canvas. The brush marks draw our attention to the artifice of the surface, hovering between the implied truth of the camera and the process of painting. The understated execution of these works is refreshing and thought provoking in terms of how we as human beings visualise the world. Robertson’s work reminds us that ‘Beyond Surface’ there is always more to see.

Clare Cummings has contributed some fine works to the show, including the beautiful collograph ‘Towards The Door’ and ‘Tidelines II’, a wonderfully delicate drifting composition of sand and debris in paint. ‘Towards The Door’ is a small but intriguing piece of work where the elderly figure is described with an impressive economy of line. There is a sense of a greater journey here too, implied by the village-like arrangement of houses in the foreground and the figure of a child beneath a street lamp. The high window and lines of incline suggest laboured movement not just towards the door but in life. The soft greenish blue of the print and fresh quality of a drawing help to create a sense of human empathy within the image.

Matthew O’Connor’s works in pastel – ‘Harbour Steps Portsoy’, with its soft reflections of stone, and ‘Airbrakes’ – illustrate his accomplished use of pastels. The sharply defined composition of ‘Airbrakes’, characteristically cropped into focus, reveals the medium and its industrial subject matter in a new light.

An unsettling vision of everyday objects is created in Linda M Smith’s compositions in oils, ‘Blowin” and ‘The Night Sleeper’. Smith’s work is always fascinating due to its psychological aspect and compelling use of shadow, reminiscent of the Surrealist Giorgio De Chirico. In ‘The Night Sleeper’ a simple washing line and pram take on a sinister nightmarish quality, the washing line pole bisecting a scene of theatrical stillness.

A sense of presence is created in human absence and objects that encourage associative memory in the viewer. In this way an open space is created for the imagination to enter into. The cool deep blue dominating the scene adds to its dreamlike presence. ‘Les Parapuis’, with its looser fluid brushwork and more complex palette, reveals greater exploration of paint handling and visually expands the artist’s stylistic range.

‘The Storm’, a deep textural canvas blocked in black and luminous blue, develops this idea still further in a beautiful exploration of colour and form. Intersecting forms of blue create a strong sense of composition.

2008 Cromarty Arts Trust Student Residency Prize winner Caroline Bury has exhibited a number of figurative works including ‘Spring, The Beat and The Rythym’. The circular nature of the dance is evoked in her arrangement of the figures whose shadows interweave and overlap. The drawing style is heavily linear and draws the eye into the movement.

In relation to the handling of oils there are some almost sculptural touches with interesting textural marks and glazing that could be developed further still on a larger scale. The energy and evolution of technique in these works is exciting to see and I look forward to seeing this develop in subsequent shows.

There is a strong abstract component in the show including acrylics on canvas by Brian Crawford Young, acrylic and mixed media work by Sheena Wilson and a series of mixed media works by Myra Gallicker. Galliker’s ‘Whitebird Passes’ combines layers of material, contours and map fragments in a rich patchwork of silver, cerise, purple, blue and grey.

This work reads like a tracery of human marks upon the landscape, a theme which also pervades the smaller and more balanced compositions of ‘Ancient Earth’ and the jewel like ‘Above and Below’. ‘Cathedral Interior’ is another lovely abstract composition which captures beautifully the feeling of illumination in darkness, a manifestation of both the aspiration and physical experience of the architecture.

Whilst the proliferation of artist-led groups in our region in recent times is extremely positive, it should not be forgotten that this is primarily in response to a distinct lack of infrastructure and investment in public sector Visual Arts development in the region. There are comparatively few places for professional artists to exhibit and for the public to have access to a range of Visual Art experiences both historical and contemporary.

Whilst artists’ groups can be influential, significantly raising the profile of professional artists in the area, staging exhibitions (often in unexpected locations) and offering valuable support, they do not have the capacity for capital or long term public projects. There is a wider issue of Cultural Policy and long term strategy here not being addressed. The subtitle of the last Highlands and Islands Visual Arts Gathering, Artists Are Doing It For Themselves, held earlier this year at Eden Court Theatre, said it all.

It seems they are not just doing it for themselves but for everyone. Eden Court – contrary to the sign on the outside of the building – is not fundamentally a gallery space. Although great use can (and should) be made of the variety of spaces in the building, no clear policy exists in relation to Visual Arts either within this building or outside it.

The recent public consultation on a future new gallery site for Inverness is also eerily silent. The collective energy, enthusiasm and effort of artists and private galleries in the region is pivotal in relation to the area’s economic, social and cultural development, however it should not be viewed as an abdication of responsibility by local authorities or publicly funded Arts organisations.

The activities of groups such as A96 are an important reminder of the most essential ingredient in realising the area’s true cultural and economic value – Creative Vision. This is an important show in terms of raising awareness about artists living and working in Moray and the Northeast and a sign of the changing dynamic of the area. Development in further Art Education at Moray College UHI, now Scotland’s fifth art college, is a significant factor and the city of Inverness should be asking itself; why not here?

© Georgina Coburn, 2008

Links

• A96 Artists’ Collective