MEDIA RELEASE 3 August 2018 Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland today announced a ‘Call for Entries’ for artists from across the world to apply to be part of the biggest show of contemporary art in Scotland. Working together for the first time, the two leading arts organisations are joining forces to present an ambitious one-off collaborative exhibition celebrating the best in contemporary and applied art.
The exhibition, entitled OPEN, will take place at the Scottish National Galleries RSA Building on Edinburgh's Princes Street from 29 January - 9 March 2018. Andrew Mackenzie, President of Visual Arts Scotland said, “Since their inception, both Societies have focused on the new and adventurous, the challenging and contemporary. We will continue this commitment by presenting an exhibition that demonstrates fully the diversity of contemporary and applied art created today. “All artists and makers from anywhere in the world can apply to exhibit and all types of art will be considered. From painting and sculpture to new media, performance and applied art, our selection committee looks forward to considering every submission.” President of the Society of Scottish Artists, Sharon Quigley added, “The Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland have much in common yet are very distinct organisations. Working together for the first time, our mission this year is to celebrate our unique qualities while confirming our individual identities as two of Scotland’s leading art institutions.” “This exciting collaboration will allow us to combine our expertise to present one ambitious exhibition. We anticipate receiving many hundreds of entries, yet this should not deter artists from applying as our selection process is completely anonymous so every proposal has an equal chance of success.” Society of Scottish Artists and Visual Arts Scotland are artist-led organisations whose Annual Exhibitions, traditionally held at the prestigious Edinburgh RSA galleries, attract many thousands of visitors. Both organisations nurture a vibrant network of artist members from across Scotland and beyond. The Call for Entries for artwork submissions opens on Thursday 3rd August 2017. Artists can find out how to apply at www.open2018.art OPEN - SSA & VAS together 2018, at the Scottish National Galleries’ RSA Buildings, The Mound, Edinburgh, 29 January - 9 March 2018. ENDS Notes to Editors: The Society of Scottish Artists is an artist-led membership organisation founded in 1851. It is a vibrant network of 800 artist members and is governed by an elected president and council. The SSA today continues in the spirit of its founders, to show the controversial and the unexpected and promote to new artists of promise through its Annual Exhibition in Edinburgh and satellite exhibitions, events and artists residencies across the world. The Society of Scottish Artists has long aimed to represent adventurous work from Scotland and further afield with exhibitions including the work of the Post Impressionists, Gauguin, Cezanne, Matisse and Van Gogh in 1913. In 1922 the Society presented work by Picasso, Daumier, Degas and Forain. In 1931, the Society showed, for the first time in the UK, twelve canvases by the then highly controversial Edvard Munch who went on to become a member of the Society. Central to the 2015 Annual Exhibition was the work of SSA member Graham Fagen, in concurrence with his Scotland + Venice Biennale show and in 2016, Bettina Hutschenk, who is currently representing Malta at the Venice Biennale 2017. The SSA has an ongoing desire to reach out to new audiences by giving prominence to digital culture and new technology. An ongoing partnership with New Media Scotland supports the creation and development of new artwork, exploring interactive practice and challenging the idea of what new media creativity can be. Visual Arts Scotland is a leading platform for national and international contemporary fine and applied artists with a membership of over 400 practising artists. Originally an organisation for women artists, the society since the 1980s has championed craft makers, designers and applied arts practitioners. Works by notable artists have included historically Joan Eardley, Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Frink and Lucie Rie, and more recently they have been proud to exhibit some of Scotland’s biggest rising stars including Rachel MacLean who is representing Scotland in the 2017 Venice Biennale. Their relationship with contemporary fine art practice is at the heart of Visual Arts Scotland's mission today. Their annual exhibition offers the opportunity for emerging and established practitioners to showcase new and unseen work. For more information visit http://www.visualartsscotland.org For further information contact: Lynne Mackenzie [email protected] 07540 403034 Comments are closed.
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Listing Information
OPEN - SSA & VAS Together 2018 29 January - 8 March 2018 Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12 noon - 5pm Royal Scottish Academy The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 2EL www.open2018.art |