Suffering from an artistic drought this February? Well, look no further – Art Editors Lolo Schaw Miller and Eliza Lewin have put together a list of art events and exhibitions in Edinburgh that will spark some creativity and curiosity this month.
EVENTS
Listening Party: “New Year, New Possibilities: Gentle Planning for your Practice” Embassy Gallery, 4 February 19:15-21:00
Calling creatives, artists and writers, all you need for this month’s “Listening Party” is a pad of paper and a readiness to look back at 2024 to celebrate your achievements and look ahead to 2025 to set up some “gentle” intentions.
The ECA’s History Art Research Seminar Series: “Sculpting Light in Byzantine Greece, 9th–15th Century: Workshops, Climate and Devotion” by Dr Flavia Vanni 6 Feb, 17:15-18:15
Addresses the manipulation of light in the small, highly carved openings rural Greek Byzantine churches.
The Edinburgh Printmakers’ Weekly Drop-in Creative Session: Zines making with Carla Smith 7 Feb 11:00-13:00; Make a Victorian inspired puzzle for Valentine’s Day 14 Feb 11:00-13:00; Collage Poetry with Nazaret Ranea 21 Feb 11:00-13:00; Making Comics with Collage with Yasmeen Khan 28 Feb 11:00-13:00
In these weekly sessions hosted by various Edinburgh-based artists, there’s truly no expectation – not even a booking is required. Anyone and everyone is welcome: simply turn up, get creative, and enjoy the free lunch provided!
The ECA’s History Art Research Seminar Series: “From Glasgow to Edinburgh, by way of Los Angeles: A Curatorial Journey” by Anne Lyden 13 Feb 17:15 – 18:15
Anne Lyden recounts her cross-continental travels over 30 years of being a photograph curator.
Woodcuts, Poems, and Open Mic Edinburgh Printmakers, 13 Feb 18:00-20:00
A look at some of the highlights from the 3,000 woodcuts collected by David Burnett, whose poetry will also be read.
Artists’ Bookmarket Fruitmarket, 15 and 16 February
Browse the stalls of art literature whilst attending talks and workshops (most of which are free) about the art publishing industry and the diverse practices involved in it. Make sure to check out David Faithfull’s artist book project “BAROX” and Lydia Davies’ exhibition, “The glass with the fingers dipped in,” both displayed only for the weekend.
Pop Art, Pop Fashion: Exploring Contemporary Culture Through Line City Art Centre, 22 February
This year’s Edinburgh College student fashion show draws inspiration from the City Art Centre’s current exhibitions “Pop Life” and “Through Line,” imaginatively translating them onto the runway.
The ECA’s History Art Research Seminar Series: ‘Playing the Hard Man: André Stitt’s Confrontational Engagement with the Legacy of the Troubles’ by Dr Lucy Weir 27 Feb 17:15 – 18:15
This hybrid lecture explores the performance art of Northern Irish artist André Stitt, and the way he employed the persona of the “hard man” to engage with suffering and guilt.
EXHIBITIONS
Mary Morrison: Hidden Journey &gallery, 1 – 22 February
A pensive collection of paintings thoughtfully exploring life in the Outer Hebrides, using beeswax and pigment to depict the islands’ liminality.
Uisge: Highland Waters Morningside Gallery, 8-22 February
Get drawn into the paintings of Beth Robertson Fiddes who conjures viscerally and experientially the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Tape Letters Museum of Edinburgh, until 23 February
Exploring personal experiences of migration through cassette tapes, used by British-Pakistani communities as a mode of communication, this exhibition stresses that behind these recordings are not just voices – there are individuals.
Dürer to Van Dyck: Drawings from Chatsworth House Royal Scottish Academy, until 23 February
Feel a real sense of intimacy with artists whose processes and connection to their surroundings is brought to life in this singular collection of drawings and watercolours from 1500 to 1700.
Twenty Five: A Stills School Exhibition Stills, 18 February-1 March
Look through the lens of Still School’s students as they explore connection and rituals of the every-day in this photography showcase. Highlighting students’ progression and development, the exhibition inspires a view of art as a process rather than an end result.
Through Line City Art Centre, until 2 March
A multi-media collection of the work of nine artists where the only thread of connection is a focus on the singular line, this exhibition prompts a consideration of how important line is in the visual arts.
In Orcadia Royal Scottish Academy, until 2 March
Get swept away in both the impressive and the expressive at this exhibition on the landscape and atmosphere of the Orkney Islands.
POP LIFE City Art Centre, until 9 March
Vibrant, quirky, provocative and energetic, this exhibition brings together a diverse array of works whose unity rests upon the use of the human form as a means to explore the evolving nature of identity, culture and social relationships in an increasingly digital world.
Hope/Dòchas Edinburgh Printmakers, until 16 March
Diverse in practice, form and aesthetic, the works displayed all unite through the theme of “dòchas” – the Scots Gaelic for “hope” – something often lacking in February spirits.
Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection Portrait, until 16 March
Highlights from the 55,000-photo strong Scottish photography collection, from portraits of famous Scottish icons to rarely-seen new acquisitions.
Night Walk for Edinburgh Online, hosted by Fruitmarket, until 31 March
Weaving history, story-telling, and film in immersive and artful ways, let yourself be guided for a 50-minute walk around Edinburgh. The city you once thought you knew well will become shrouded in intrigue, mystery and suspense.
Wings of a Butterfly Ingleby Gallery, until 19 April
An exhibition of painters’ works exploring the gap between experiencing a moment and remembering it, in response to Pierre Bonnard’s final diary entry in 1947: “I should like to present myself to the young painters of the year 2000 with the wings of a butterfly.”
Ptolemy Mann: Woven Colour Dovecot Studios, until 17 May
Ptolemy Mann’s second exhibition, featuring intricate hand weaving merged with expressive painting, exploring colour theory and geometric patterns.
Everlyn Nicodemus Modern One, until 25 May
A vibrant retrospective of the Edinburgh-based artist, exploring Nicodemus’ experiences with female oppression, racism and personal trauma.