The List Promote This Years Annual Exhibition

The Society of Scottish Artists presents a mixed show of controversial and adventurous works.

The annual exhibition of the Society of Scottish Artists has taken place in the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) in central Edinburgh since 1897 but this year the show has been allocated massively increased floor space, allowing more scope than ever before for exhibiting artists to be showcased. With a reputation for showing cutting edge artists, this is one of the best showcases for contemporary Scottish art. In addition, international invited artists are displayed.

This year’s exhibition looks set to be particularly strong with the input of prestigious curators. Sarah Cook and Mark Daniels will curate an exhibition of digital artworks within the context of the exhibition; while art journalist and curator Pryle Behrman will curate an exhibit of digital work by significant international artists within the overall context of the show. This will be housed in a unique custom-built cinema designed by artist Alan Bond.

Contemporary artists were invited to submit entries for the exhibition run by the SSA, which dates back to 1891 and has a history of supporting emerging, experimental and adventurous artists. Selected to represent Scotland at next year’s Venice Biennale, Graham Fagen is this year’s SSA guest artist. Other exhibiting artists include Gayle Nelson, Sharon Quigley, Louise Ritchie, Carolyn Scott and Lorna Fraser.

A new section of the exhibition allows visitors to browse a stunning array of affordable original artworks, which can be purchased, wrapped and taken away on the same day for the very first time. Sit In/Take Away is a curated exhibit-with-a-difference ensconced within the overall framework of the show. Visitors are invited to sit in one of the comfortable chairs provided and browse the Daily Specials by a number of prominent artists including Louise Ritchie, Christopher Wood, Leena Nammari, Norman MacBeath, Paul Charlton, Gayle Nelson and more. The Daily Specials, as the name suggests, will change each day to a new roster of SSA artists, allowing visitors to view a broad range of artworks throughout the exhibition run. The works will all be portable in size and encompass a variety of media including printmaking, painting, drawing, photography and mixed media. It is not normally possible to remove artworks from the prestigious Annual Exhibition before it draws to a close, so this is a unique opportunity for visitors to buy these artworks as bespoke Christmas gifts at the time of visiting this stand-out show.

See the article on the The List website here: www.list.co.uk/event/90765-the-society-of-scottish-artists/

Image: Greta Alfaro, In Ictu Oculi (2009), video still