FESTIVAL PREVIEW
‘ diagram oflife. Sheets otmusic, anonymous portraits, sexuality and
i figures go straight to first principles,
§ Mach, who has made a piece forthe
i changing of the guard puts the squeeze
FESTIVAL ART
MacDIARMID
Richard Demarco Gallery, See Scottish Sechon
Richard Demarco is celebrating MacDiarmid. It is ten years since the i great 20th century Scottish poet died and Demarco is determined that his name has a place in the Festival.
80, Richard Demarco throws an exhibition party in his name. It is not an academic survey of the poet's work— there is not a fancy label or glass’cased manuscript in sight. There are a numberof portraits in the exhibition which remind you of the explosive hair and shiny eyes of the poet, but that is where the practical association with MacDiarmid ends. No, this is an eclectic exhibition which gets together a group of Scottish artists either by adoption or by birth, who are simply 2 happy to be shown under MacDiarmid’s name.
Commissioned by Demarco several artists have made work specially for the show. ‘Continuum’ by Ainslie Yule isthe centrepiece. Running againsta whole wall in the long gallery, it is a
machines mix up with art—Yule pieces fragments into some kind of order. In front of this vital chequerboard, there is a row of red figures, or parts of figures stand for examination on plinths. One has two golden heads, anothertwo penises, quite erect and not in the least perturbed about their public airing. The only lady in the group coyly crosses her legs in this virile company. These
not so much primitive, as stripped of superficial pose and nonsense. David
opposite wall, wastes no time either in getting straight to the point. In a collage of layered photographs the
on an innocent bystander.
_ ‘\ "~ \
A
‘.c Q
. /
Franz Mazereel for Hugh MacDiarmid's 'A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle'
Upstairs the sculptor Paul Neagu offers an uncharacteristic work— a large sexy black and white skin is covered in smooth ball-bearings. A map or simply a sensuous sculpture underfoot. at several paintings in this room by a contemporary of MacDiarmid, William Johnstone, there are two beauties — an untitled abstract with a red dash and ‘Green Landscape‘ with its choppy foreground and sliced honzon.
This may be an eccentric exhibition but like Demarco himself, it offers art with no frills, the living spirit ofthe thing. MacDiarmid is the hero this year and ten years an excuse to hold an exhibition, but for Demarco it isthe art and poetry itself which aspires to greatness. (Alice Bain)
Richard Demarco is holding a MacDiarmid 3-day conference in the gallery on 21, 22, 23 August involving 41 writers and artists, many of them well-known. Phone 557 0707 for details.
Bizarre combinations ofevcrydayobjects. everything from stuffed birds. ray guns. loam-rubber. toy trees. gloves. waders.
whip. Bible and oil paint amalgamatc into
images replete with iconoclastic
irres ercnce and social comment.
An Edition of VI l'ntil 3 Sept. Recent work by six printmakers.
I ENGLISH—SPEAKING UNION 22 Atholl Crescent. 22‘) 1528. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Scottish Art '88 L'ntil 3 Sept. Recent work by a number of artists including George Devlin. Vincent Butler. Margaret Malcolm and Charles McQueen.
I FINE ART SOCIETY 12 Great King Street. 55b0305. Mort-Sat 10am vbpm.
Edinburgh . . . The Festival City t’ntil .‘sSept. Watercolours by James \Viittcrston lierald.
I 44 LONDON STREET Daily 10am——-lpm. New Work l'ntil 4 Sept. Work by Tony Cooper and 1.cila Galloway. young sculptors w ho moved to lidinburgh in WSb. Both artists will be in residence tltrottghout the exhibition.
I GALLERY OF MODERN ART Belford Road. 5568921. Mon ~-Sat lllam—5pszun 2--5pm. l'nti14 Sept hours are extended to Mon- Sat 1 lam—bpm. Sun 1 lam- (ipni. A tree i‘csttv al Bits runs ev ery hall-hour bch ecn the National ( ialleries andother exhibition venues. [1)] Cafe. The gallery ‘s justly renowned cafe isopcn Mon—Sat
50 The List 19— 25 August 1988
i 10.30am— 4.30pm (lunches noon—2.30pm).
3 issue of the List.
Sun 2.30— 4.30pm. See Modern section for tictailsofothcr exhibitions. The Eardley Archive tintil 3 Sept. Lovely
‘ exhibitionol'smallworksby thismajor
talent of 20th century Scottish art. marking the 25th anniversary of her death. Includes poignant details such as a Christmas card Izardlcy made at the age of only nine as well as many of herarresting and thoughtful sketches. A book on liardlcy will be published as part ofthe Scottish Masters series. price £2.95. See
i
also Talbot Rice and Royal Scottish Academy.
Portraits of Painters Until 7 Oct. Seven of the young bloods of the contemporary Scottish art scene are painted by Alexander Moffat. Ken Currie stands with Diego Rivera at his side and Stephen Barclay cuts a dashing figure as the young aviator.
I GATEWAY GALLERY 2—4 Abbeymount. 6610982. Exhibitions Mon—Sat 10am—5pm.
Mat McCurdy Until 3 Sept. A young Glasgow artist already showing in London and Berlin contributes to the last exhibition to be mounted at the Gateway. Due to lack of funds. the gallery plansto close early September.
I Festival Exhibition Until 2 Sept. Prints and paintings by Barbara Robertson and others.
I 30 GREAT KING STREET Daily 10am—5pm.
Landscapes of Highland Britain Until 24 Aug. Watercolours and drawings ofthe Scottish Highlands. Northern England and Snowdonia. Coffee served throughout the exhibition.
I HANOVER FINE ART 104 Hanover Street. 225 2450. Mon—Fri 10am—5.30pm; Sat 10am-4pm.
Festival Exhibition Until 6 Sept. Recent seascapes. landscapes and still life by west coast artists front ‘Gallery 8' in [.args. Also porcelain and stoneware by Anne Hughes.
I HART STREET GALLERY 1‘) Hart Street. 5567069. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm.
General selection of paintings and prints by contemporary artists. Framing service available.
I IXIA 44a George Street. information 225 6882.
Recent Graduates See in Design section.
I MALCOLM INNES GALLERY 67 George Street. 226 4151. Mon—Fri 9am—6pm; Sat 10am— 1 pm.
A Scottish Panorama 19 Aug—— 10 Sept. The gallery‘s annual exhibition of recent acquisitions including oils. watercolours and prints.
I MERCURY GALLERY 82 West Bow. Mon—Sat 10am—7pm.
Scottish Women Painters Until 31 Aug. The Mercury makes a temporary comeback to the Edinburgh Festival this year with five artists well-known to Scottish audiences. They are -- Redpath.1iardley. Blackaddcr. Redfcrn and Adamson arid between them they span 20th century art in Scotland.
I MORAY HOUSE Visual Art Buildings. St John's Street. 556 8-155. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm.
Landscape L'ntil 3 Sept. Recent paintings by Scottish artist Elizabeth Reid.
I OPEN EYE GALLERY 75 Cumberland Place. 557 1020. Mon—Fri 10am—6pm. Sat 10am—4pm.
Marion Mclntosh [Intil 1 Sept. This young Glasgow painter studies the figure in oils.
“M i ...' *' ' . . . . . ‘I .
The Wave by Joan Eardley at the Talbot Rice Gallery. This and other exhibitions by Scottish artists.
including Rodick Carmichael and Robert Colquhoun at the City Art Centre. will be reviewed in the next
See Design section for other exhibitions. I PRINTMAKERS WORKSHOP Festival Folio 2 Until 17 Sept. Specially made prints commissioned and editioned at the Printmakers Workshop. Includes prints by Stephen Conroy. Barbara Rae and Bill Gear. Twenty one by Twenty one Until 17 Sept. The Printmakers Workshop was opened 21 years ago and has asked 21printmakers to celebrate. The list includes Reinhard Behrens. Philip Reeves. Peter Pretsell and Carmen Ambrozevich. I RICHARD DEMARCO GALLERY Blackfriars Church. Blackfriars Street (off High Street). 5570707. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm. Hugh MacDiarmid Until 10 Sept. An exhibition to commemorate the 10th anniversary of this Scottish writer's death. I ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY The Mound. 225 6671. For Eardley exhibition Mon—Sat 10am-5pm. Sun 2—5pm. Joan Eardley Until 10 Sept. See under Photography for this companion exhibition to that at the Talbot Rice (see below). I QUEEN'S HALL Clerk Street. Box Office (>68 201‘). Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Cafe. Gwyneth Leech Until Sept 3. This young American artist based in Glasgow has in recent years been looking at another famous European festival of a very different flavour and history to that of Edinburgh - the Venice Carnival. This exhibition ofnew work has taken her along another Italian route. her inspiration being ‘Decameron' by Boccacchio. I ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN 552 7171. Gardens Mon—Sat 9am—sunset: Sun llam—sunset. Plant I'lottses and exhibitions (mounted in lnverleith 1 louse) Mon—Sat 10am—5pm; Sttn 11am—5pm. See also Photography section. Rory McEwen 1932-1982 The Botanical Paintings L'ntil 2 ()ct.An exhibition of exquisite beauty by an artist who. like Charles Rennie Mackintosh. turned to the I flowerthroughouthisthirty-yearpainting career. Coupled with the gardens themselves. this major exhibition ‘ organised in conjunction with the Serpentine. London. is a delight not tobe missed. I ST ANNE'S COMMUNITY CENTRE 6 South Gray's Close. High Street. Mon—Sat 10am—7.30pm. Exhibition llntil 2 Sept. Paintings in all mediums. I THE SCOTTISH GALLERY ()4 George ‘ Street. 225 5955. Mon—FriGain-5.30pm; ~ Sat 9.30am—lpm. See also Design section. James Morrison [Inn] 6 Sept. Last year. Morrison gave up his teaching post at Dundee College of Art to paint full time. I it; has since had an exhibition in Canada and has been working on Rannoch Moor. His current images include stack yards and standing stones in a fluid. distinctive. but ultimately formulaic style. I STEP GALLERY 1 lowe Street. 556 1613. Mon—Fri 10am -(ipm: Sat 10am—4pm. Images of Italy lfntil 3 Sept. Paintings by Anne Mendelow arid Alma Wolfson and sculpture by Lynn Wolfson. Three personal views of Italy. I TALBOT RICE GALLERY ()ld College. Universityol’lidinburgh.(1671011cxt 4308. Mon-Sat. 10am—5pm; Sun 2pm --5pm. Admission £1 .50 for both venues (see also Royal Scottish Academy). Joan Eardley L'ntil 10 Sept. There have been a number of small exhibitions this year around Scotland to celebrate the work of Joan liardlcy. who died toosoon 25 years ago. This major retrospective however has collected together the largest selection of her work seen for many years. I The small Gorbals faces ofchildren who