Miriam Sturdee

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Lightning Fields and Photogenic Drawings

Breathtaking exploration of both photography and science

25 Aug 2011

To say that Sugimoto's contribution to the Edinburgh International Festival is striking would be an understatement. This is the first time these works have been displayed in Europe. The Japanese photography pioneer’s huge analogue 'Lightning Fields…

Giants of Comedy – Darren Walsh, Leo Kearse & Lindsay Sharman

They might be giants, and they're definitely tall

26 Aug 2011

There's a Jurassic Park moment on the approach as the ground starts shaking and concentric rings appear in the pints of the wary audience... and then they arrive: the 3 aptly titled Giants of Comedy. Compering by the comparatively short and extremely…

Alasdair Gray: Gray Stuff

Murals, posters, books and doodles from Glasgow polymath artist

15 Nov 2010

Alasdair Gray is the very definition of a polymath, and Gray Stuff is a loving testament to his industry and curiosity. The artist’s murals, theatre posters, books and doodles fill the gallery space at Talbot Rice, despite being of rather small…

Portrait of the Nation explores work by and of famous Scots

Exhibition contains portraiture from Henry Raeburn and David Wilkie

3 Nov 2010

During the refurbishment of Edinburgh’s National Portrait Gallery, some of the permanent collection has found a temporary home in the National Galleries building on the Mound. The exhibition explores work by and of famous Scots, resulting in a blend of…

Spring Exhibition 2010

15 Apr 2010

Edinburgh’s newest gallery’s spring exhibition presents an outstanding selection of work by Scottish-based artists as well as one or two pieces from future exhibitors that contrast and complement their neighbours. The show encompasses a range of work…

Dutch Landscapes

Queen’s Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 9 Jan

2 Jul 2010

The cool, spacious interior of the Queen’s Gallery is an apt accompaniment to the moody tones and airy landscapes of these Dutch masters of the art of landscape painting. The exhibition brings together 42 works from painters including Jacob van Ruisdael…

Lucy Roscoe - The Beach House

Collection of sea-themed prints and paper sculptures in convivial deli setting

21 Sep 2011

Edinburgh-based artist-illustrator and founder of the Book Tree Press, Lucy Roscoe, brings a body of new work to Edinburgh’s Broughton Deli. The Beach House is the tenth in a specially curated series by Nicola Brooks and fills the space with delicate…

Paul Muzni: Configure

Versatility found among abstracted oil and pastel pieces of Edinburgh artist

30 Aug 2011

Edinburgh artist Muzni treats the eyes in this collection of life works focusing on the female nude, constantly striving to keep his approach as fresh as the colours that make up his delicately abstracted oil and pastel pieces. The use of pastel is a…

Conway's Time of the Month

Hardeep Singh Kohli, Andi Osho and Imran Yusuf guest at free Edinburgh show

24 Aug 2011

London-based presenter and comedian Eleanor Conway brings her 5 star thighs, the news, and a host of comedy guests to Edinburgh's cosy Space 3 at the Voodoo Rooms. On the platter of entertainment are Hardeep Singh (BBC), Andi Osho (Stand up for the…

Interview: John Byrne

Painter and playwright at 2011 Edinburgh Art Festival

24 Aug 2011

What came first – the art or the writing? It must have been the drawing and the art, because my mother used to tell people that I was drawing in my pram. We have to take her word for it – she was a very honest woman. Do you hold writing and art in…

John Byrne: Moonlight and Music

Major exhibition of works by much-loved Scottish artist

17 Aug 2011

So recent are some of the pieces in this show – timed to coincide with the launch of a biography of the artist by Lund Humphries – that self-portrait ‘Chop Suey’ and Byrne’s children’s book Donald & Benoit: A Story of a Cat and a Boy arrived close to…

A Little Bit of Magic Realised

Common theme of the natural world in work from Anna Atkins, Garry Fabian Miller and Susan Derges

3 Jan 2011

‘Cameraless’ photography is one of those seeming contradictions in terms that seems intended to deliberately confuse. However, the curiosity inspired by the theme gives way to wonder as you explore the immediate and vivid world depicted in this…

Childish Things

Fruitmarket Gallery, until Sun 23 Jan 2010

23 Dec 2010

Installation Childish Things Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 23 Jan David Hopkins, curator of Childish Things, has created a wonderfully subversive tribute to childhood. The title is deceiving: the imagery and atmosphere of this exhibition…

Myths and Legends: From the Ancient to the Modern

Printmakers all-you-can-eat group show overwhelms but maintains interest

23 Nov 2010

Myths and Legends is an all-you-can-eat buffet of printmaking encompassing a vast range of techniques. Enticing images creep out into the stairwell, and the main rooms are filled to the brim with ever more imaginative takes on the theme, including a…

(hi)STORY: Viewing the Old Town from Hermione’s window

Art and architecture meet philosophy and psychiatry from Klas Hyllen

9 Sep 2010

Art and architecture meet philosophy and psychiatry in Klas Hyllen’s well-researched body of work, beautifully presented within SCHOP’s small gallery – size is unimportant when the viewer is confronted with complex theories and varying 2D works and…

Perennial Art: A Drawback

Exploring the art of drawing in a calm environment

17 Aug 2010

This European collective is intent on raising the profile of the oft-overlooked art of drawing. Perennial Art’s second exhibition in the Scottish capital draws on influences ranging from the darkly surreal to 20th century board games, and their space at…

Sitting & Looking

Innovative group show offers comfortable, close examination of 21st century objects

28 Jul 2010

At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking you have wandered into an upmarket furniture store. Upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that there are wonders here that far outweigh the trappings of consumerism. Taking a seat to peruse the…

Katie Cooke: Balancing Act

14 Jul 2010

This body of work is a concise but moving depiction of the photographer’s struggle through several courses of surgery, which may have left her unable to walk. The pinhole exposures correspond with the length of time Cooke was able to stand and represent…

Fiona Michie: Day Is Done

20 May 2010

Fiona Michie’s first solo Scottish show is an eerie delight, incorporating both large and small charcoal and pastel-based drawings depicting women in tandem with nature. Her take on gothic romanticism has developed from initial forays where ivy…

Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt - Along the River that Flows Uphill: From the Orinoco to the Amazon

30 Apr 2010

(Haus) This neat little book does little to give away its contents, other than the suspicion of a jungle and an enigmatic black river. However it is well introduced by the authors and we soon involved in planning the trip which was originally…

Artist Rooms: Jenny Holzer – Blue Purple Tilt

15 Apr 2010

Neon fly posting arrests the eye as you venture into Talbot Rice, the gritty and harrowing statements creating a sense of nervous expectation. The main room displays several of Holzer’s large-scale paintings depicting declassified US military documents.

Zixiao Chang: Endless Sky

31 Mar 2010

Former ECA Masters graduate Chang's large-scale screen prints, currently on display at Edinburgh Printmakers, are a feast for the eyes. The eight pieces depict heavy skies, airy spaces and light rain expertly processed with translucent printing…

The Printmaker’s Art

19 Mar 2010

The oft misunderstood art of printmaking is represented here by masters of the craft, both Scottish and international. Visitors may struggle to find the darkened room down in the basement where the 30 plus collected prints are situated, but it is well…

Peter Liversidge: The Thrill Of It All

4 Mar 2010

Liversidge has built up a reputation on the back of his ‘proposals’ for artworks and this latest exhibition is a series written for, and realised at, the Ingleby. His suggestions to the gallery’s owners range from the tangible (proposing to paint the…

Drawing for Instruction

10 Feb 2010

While the presentation at first appears haphazard, Drawing for Instruction draws the viewer deep into the space on a journey through an Edinburgh history of buildings, musical instruments and even the brain. Edinburgh College of Art displays a…