Running until 21 December 2025, Shen Xin’s Highland Embassy is found inside the Dome Gallery and is a chance for quiet reflection on the landscape that surrounds you after a clamber up Calton Hill.
My favourite of the pieces was ‘Bearing fruit of fondness, 2024’, shot on 35mm black and white film and hand developed in a solution made by artist Shen Xin which puts a nostalgic haze of flickering imperfections over the highlands of the Isle of Sky. The camera brings you close to the foliage and animals; the water swells, and the wind breathes along with Xin as she recites a poem in quick breaths. I noticed myself breathing along with her.
In contrast, ‘Solar Wheels, 2024’ is shot on super 8 film and is a vibrant depiction of the Canadian Highlands. Once again you are brought in close to the world around you with a clumsy handheld swaying, sometimes leaving you upside down. A conversation rambles in the background alongside the sounds of rambling through the landscape, only translated after the speaking stops making this piece a little more challenging to the casual viewer.
‘The Child of the Mountain, 2025’ is a story written by Xin. It is printed in both English and Tibetan using handmade plant-based ink, smudged in a gentle green. You follow a lone child on the Tibetan plateau who gathers caterpillar fungus. It is a touching tale that has the feel of an eerie fable. The paintings that accompany this film feel aesthetically disjointed from the exhibition. Dark and bold, they feel separate from the flickering floatiness of the films.
After the exhibition, a small collection of books selected by the artist are offered in a space to continue contemplation.
This exhibition is an intimate snapshot into the thoughtful and complex work of emerging artist Shen Xin and if you are willing to give it the time, it offers much to be reflected upon.
“Calton Hill” by wjmarnoch is licensed under CC BY 2.0.