l Mhairl Sutherland walked into the
. Richard Demarco Gallery one day in
' search ol an exhibition. And got it.
‘f Most young artists lresh lrom college look forward to seeing their name in that lirst catalogue. To achieve this
within a year of graduating is extraordinary.
Ms. Sutherland was born in
Edinburgh. But thirteen years in Donegal have given her an Irish tilt and an Irish view. Living on the borderline ol Ulster’s tensions and troubles has, there is no doubt, iniluenced her work, however indirectly. In a group at paintings she describes as ‘Land Series’ the shapes oi barbed wire, fences and gates can be deciphered in the solid acrylic blackness. They are like secret maps, painted on torn pieces of oiled paper, describing a treacherous territory. It’s a no go area. Trespassers prosecuted - and more. A cross is tipped overto indicate poison. The balance at the land is a precarious and precious one.
So too is the balance at religion. Though not baptised hersell, Sutherland experienced convent school lite and was exposed to the religious polarisation at her adopted country, north and south. Religious symbols and imagery appear throughout her work. Naked torsos
hang in crucifix position, their
: unlinished bodies dissolving atthe extremities. The lish, the bull and the cross are incorporated within the borders at her pictures and her latest work is contained within shrine-like lrames. Butthe icons of religion are
Student Exhibition Until end May. Work by students from the
Ilospitalfield studios in Arbroath. O EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY LIBRARY George Square. 667 1011.Mon—Fri 9am—5pm.
Pick up a Penguin Now extended to 311
Sept. An exhibition illustrating the development of Penguins since their debut in 1935. O ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION 22 Atholl Crescent. 229 1528. Mon—Sat
l0am—5pm (Tue 10am—l2.30pm) Sun 2—5pm. Mixed Exhibition Until Sat 17 May. Includes jewellery by Sheena Stephen. pottery by Ken Southall. emroidery by Kirstie (‘olam and paintings by Thora (‘lyne and Nita Begg. 0 FINE ART SOCIETY 12 Great King Street. 5560305. Mon—Fri 9.30am—5.30pm. Sat 10am—lpm. Spring ’86 Exhibition Until Tue 3 June. Celebrating the 110th anniversary of the society. a display of new acquisitions including work by (‘adelL Thomas Faed. Andrew (ieddes. William Mc'l‘aggart. James Patterson and Peploe. 0 FORREST MGKAY 38 l Iowe Street.
2262589. Mon—Fri l0am—6pm. Sat
' 10am—lpm.
'5 Scottish Paintings lrom 1800 onwards
Rugs and porcelain. General display throughout May. 0 FRENCH INSTITUTE 13 Randolph (‘resent. 225 5366. Mon-Fri
10am—lpm. 2—5.30pm. Sat 10am—1pm.
SGThe List 16— 29 May
ART & EXHIBITIONS. LIST
IRISH EYES
natural lorces. Female bodies taut in positions at birth and devouring are caught in the lite cycle. Male and lemale, decay and regeneration, pain and extasy- Sutherland lollows the contradictions and opposites ot religion and biology in an attempt to articulate her personal view ol spirituality. She has discarded the brush in lavour oi lingers and drawing to get closer to the work and its message. This results in unusual
Gustav Adolph Mossa LIntilTue 111 June. Taught by his father Alexis. Mossa worked in a symbolist style in his early years. Working mainly in watercolours. be translated myths and legends into a world of his own. Bernard Pages- Sculpture (Spring Fling) As part of the Spring Fling Pages comes from France to work on the sculpture park in Princes Street Gardens. Six other sculptors from Britain will be chipping away too. ()pen throughout the Spring Fling. See also City Art Centre. 0 FRUITMARKET GALLERY 29 Market Street. 225 2383. Tue—Sat 10am-5.30pm. (‘losed Sun & Mon. Licensed cafe. NATO‘s Gamma City Until Sat 17 May. NATO (Narrative Architecture Today) is a group of nine young architects. currently redefining the concept of architecture in the most ingenious ways. Lawrence Weiner Until Sat 17 May. Lawrence Weiner‘s installation is probably the sparsest to be seen in Edinburgh for a long time. A man of few pictures. his words are printed high up on the gallery walls. Conceptual work is rare today as figurative trends are strong. so it is refreshing. whatever your tastes. to
. sample such a good example.
o GALLERY or mooan ART Belford
Road. 556 8921. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm. Rest. [D] Had Gadya —An Exhibition of
kept at a distanciby the integratiiiri ol
textures and staring colour, but can lead to rather a contusion at line where the energy souce is lost. Her most successful drawings are the less-worked.
Mhairi Sutherland is an artist at the very beginning at her career. She is tackling vast subjects in dense proximity to one another. Her commitment is strong and as her ideas mature and technique develops she should have a promising luture.(Alice
' Gain)
1
Tapestries designed by Frank Stella Until Sun 1 June. ()ne of America‘s leading artists has designed a group of tapestries for the headquarters of Pepsi-Cola. The Dovecot Studios of Edinburgh were given the weaving commission (their largest at
£180 .000). The results will be on display in the gallery before they are sent to their permanent home
0 GLADSTONE'S LAND GALLERY 483 Lawnmarket. 226 5856. Mon—Sat 10am—-l.30pm. Sun 2--l.30pm.
Lite, Land and Legend Until Sun 18
May. Paintings and etchings front by
Paterson and James Spence and sculptures by James (‘onnell
0 HANOVER FINE ARTS I04 I Ianover Street. 225 2450.
Highland Landscapes in Watercolour Until Sat 31 May. Paintings by Ray Lawson.
Landscapes in Mixed Media Until Sat 31 May. Paintings by Jim Boon and Chris Bushe.
0 HM GENERAL REGISTER HOUSE Princes Street. 556 6585. Mon-Fri 10am—~lpm.
The Crotters Until end June. An exhibition to mark the centenary of the (‘rofters’ Act.
0 LEITH LIBRARY Ferry Road. Mon—Fri 9am—8.30pm. Sat 9am—1pm. For information phone 225 242-1 ext 6623.
Leith Local History Project (Spring Fling) Sat 17—Sat 31 May. As the Leith area becomes more and more
ifa—shitTn—abfa—this-exh1btt10n may give
an insight to the original community and its work.
0 GATEWAY EXCHANGE 2-4 Abbeymount. 661 0982. Mon—Sat 10am-5pm.
Gateway Workshop Sat 17—Sat 31 May. Sculptures and paintings from
this community arts centre founded V by Jimmy and Sarah Boyle.
: Jan Stankiewicz— Photographs
: (Spring Fling) Wed 14 May—Mon 2 ; June. Shots of(‘atalyst Dance
Group on location in Leith. See also Mandela Theatre. Dance.
O MERCURY GALLERY 2/3 North Bank Street. 225 3200. Mon—Fri
10am—5.30pm. Sat 10am—1.0()pm.
Anne Redpath - Watercolours Until Sat 17 May. A sweeping picture of : Pittenweem harbour is the highlight
of this exhibition by the well-known Borders artist who died in 1965.
0 NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND
The Mound. 5568921. Mon—Sat
10am—5pm. Sun 2—5pm.
Bernini Bust ()n Wed 7 May the
: National Gallery‘s latest acquisition was unveiled by the Sevretary of
State. It was a VIPaffairand perhaps
not such a bad consolation prize for Timothy ('lifford after missing the Mantegna by several million. The marble sculpture by the 17th century baroque master. was valued at .£7.5
' million but was offered to the gallery
at the specially reduced bargain price of £3 miilion. The heirs oftbe late Lord I Ioward have sold the bust to raise funds for the upkeep of their castle ((‘astlc Howard of Brideshead Revisited fame). (‘ardinal del Pozzo (1547—1607) now resides in a ground
’ floor gallery beside a painting by
Poussin he once had in his own collection.
William Blake Until Mon 14 July.
0 NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND
George [V Bridge. 226 4531.
Mon—Fri 9.30am—5pm. Sat 9.30am— 1 pm.
Fifty Years On - The Saltire Society 1936—1986 Until Wed 21 May. This 50th anniversary exhibition illustrates the range of activities
? pursued by the group in the fields of
Scottish music. literature and architecture.
Karl-Erik Forsberg Until Wed 21 May. Illuminated alphabets. book-jacket designs. typeface designs and
bookplates by a Swedish artist with a
bookish talent.
. 0 NETHERBOW 43 High Street. 556
9579.
Vollter Gebhard Until Sat 31 May. Work by a self-taught artist. (‘halky landscapes and still-life with a hint of the cubist. Gebhard moved from East Germany in 1970. finally settling in Scotland. As well as
paintings. he has included some of
his beaten aluminium wall-pieces in the exhibition. Healing Through Art Until Sat 31 May. Work by patients at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital
0 OPEN EYE GALLERY 57 (‘umberland Street. 557 1020.
Mon—Fri 10am—6pm. Sat 10am-4pm.
ID]
Gordon Wyllie Paintings and Douglas Davies- Ceramics Until Thurs 29 May.