Cellular is the sixth showcase exhibition featuring work from Drill Hall artists in residence. The exhibition showcases 23 artists, exploring a wide range of mediums such as paintings, jewellery, photography, linocut prints, textiles, and illustrations. The exhibition “explores a diverse ecosystem of work, bridging the gap between the maker’s private process and the public’s gaze.”
The showcase is typically organised by artists with studios in Drill Hall, which is home to over 80 studios in one building. Cellular was co-curated by artist Aoife O’Callaghan, behind ‘Aoife in Leith,’ and Monika Fejes, behind ‘Remote Collective.’ The exhibition’s intent is to bring together all of the work from each artist’s studio and showcase them collectively. Cellular brings together individual “cells” of work and presents them as one entity, conveying the connection between artists at Drill Hall.
I had the pleasure of speaking with two artists showcased in the exhibition, Cameron Murdoch and Daniel Murray.
Cameron Murdoch, the artist behind ‘Cam Life Designs’ exhibited a collection of mixed media pieces focusing on cancerous cells. His showcase features jewellery, precious metal weaving, painting and sculpture.
His collection of six multimedia paintings dedicated to different forms of cancer is incredibly ornate, as pieces of silver jewellery are directly embedded onto the canvas, along with the artist’s use of acrylic and clay to depict organic and microscopic shapes that mirror cancer cells. The use of jewellery blends together different forms of natural and synthetic textures seamlessly, and the white textured canvas is contrasted by the use of bold colours on the most protruding sections of the pattern.
Murdoch renames each form of cancer, reframing them as something other than a disease: 1. The Burning Gate (Kidney Cancer), 2. Secret Shadow (Pancreatic Cancer), 3. The Sudden Stillness (Stroke), 4. Soft Defiance (Breast Cancer), 5. First Echo (Womb Cancer), 6. The Labyrinth’s Edge (Bowel Cancer).
“Murdoch said that he “wanted to break down the barriers of going through cancer or chronic illness,” and “fundamentally wanted people to talk about cancer.” He wanted to “make it beautiful and more attractive to talk about,” which is why he put “art, music, poetry, and jewellery into one collection.”
Daniel Murray is a Leith-based artist, initially from the North West of the Highlands.
His work blends realistic portraiture with the abstract shapes of the landscape that he grew up in. His portraits showcased in the exhibition depict incredibly detailed portraits set against natural backdrops, his use of acrylic captures the details within each subject beautifully.
Murray was ‘inspired by the abstract shapes of the landscape.” He is a 2018 winner of the Scottish Portrait Awards and a 2025 Royal Society of Portrait Artists Exhibitor.
He is described by Murdoch as the ‘most prolific artist in Out of the Blue.’
Cellular is a free exhibition running from 14—24 April. The exhibition is open from 10am-5pm every day and 10am-3pm on Friday 24 April. More details on the artists showcased can be found here.
Image provided by Out of the Blue for The Student