The Jerwood Survey, a biennial exhibition showcasing some of the best of new artistic talent, has made the last stop of its tour (and its first visit to Scotland!) in the Collective Gallery atop Carlton Hill.
The City Dome gallery is perhaps the strongest room of this show. Sound, sculpture, film and installation come together in a carefully orchestrated assemblage that primarily deals with themes of the feminine. Here, it seems, the most thought has been put into working the pieces into the architecture, the strong, ascendant verticals lifting the eye into the 19th-century dome.
The Hillside gallery sits overlooking Leith and Newhaven, and is cosy compared to the surrounding Victorian academic buildings. Like the City Dome, the air is filled with the low velvet hum of Nataraj’s sound art, granting a contemplative atmosphere to the works displayed. The bed set in Walker’s Dreamerism installation makes resting here all the more tempting.
Despite its strengths, the show does have some issues that left me wishing there was a little more care to detail. In some cases the artworks show little workmanship to back up the theory behind the works, making me wish there was more to admire without having to leaf through the exhibition guide. This problem is exacerbated by the scale of the show. This survey feels just a little too small to be a meaningful view of these rising stars, and I was left wishing there were more works by each artist that might provide context to the statement pieces. With that being said, Jerwood Survey III showcases more than enough for you to see the UK contemporary art scene in microcosm, and, despite the humble scale, leaves you with plenty to consider and a thirst to see whatever it is these creators can come up with next.
“File:EdinburghObservatory.jpg” by AlanFord at en.wikipedia is licensed under CC BY 2.5.