Edinburgh Printmakers reveals largest exhibition of members work to date for Hope / Dòchas

Hung across Galleries 1 & 2 at Edinburgh Printmakers, Hope/Dòchas is the organisation's biggest display of members’ work to date showcasing the work of 97 members. Over 100 artworks will be on display across a wide range of printmaking techniques. Installations will also feature alongside works in screenprint, lithography, etching, relief, textile, and three dimensional works incorporating printmaking.

The theme for the fourth annual members’ show at Castle Mills is Hope/Dòchas, ‘hope’ in Scots Gaelic. The artists featured have responded to this theme in many ways, drawing inspiration from nature and looking at how we can make sense of world politics, environmental and social challenges.

Artists featured include Scott Baxter whose installation Flotilla repurposes images of the British tabloid newspapers’ front pages reporting on the migration crises into folded paper boats. Ursula Bevan Hunter’s Magersta 01 is one of a series of paintings and prints concerned with the effects of pollution on coastal ecosystems. The print relates to the 3 million year old rock formations that can be found on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Yasmeen Khan has created a series of fictional landscapes, inspired by the worlds and possibilities that stories conjure for us. Shelagh Atkinson’s Hope is the name of the hare portrays the significant symbol and powerful force in nature associated with creative wisdom, transformation, intuition, whose presence speaks of new beginnings and opportunities. Linda Furby’s installation Hope Not Hate, features panels of silk fluttering in the moving air. Full size images of clothing are printed on the panels and on the clothing - images of migration. These are hung on a washing line which in itself is an image of home - a place of welcome and safety.

Speaking ahead of the exhibition Astrid Turner Exhibitions Co-ordinator at Edinburgh Printmakers said: “We asked Edinburgh Printmakers studio members to consider what hope means to them and respond through the wide range of different printmaking techniques learnt in the studio.

Working on this exhibition has been its own source of hope. The extraordinary energy, talent and creative impact of our members has been inspirational and I look forward to visitors to the exhibition taking their piece of hope from the works that resonate with them.”

Edinburgh Printmakers’ CEO Janet Archer said: “Hope is an important theme in today’s world. This year’s Members’ Exhibition showcases an exceptional range of the rich and varied work created in Edinburgh Printmakers studio over the past 12 months. Our spacious and light-filled studio at Castle Mills is one of Europe’s largest printmaking workshop spaces offering experienced printmakers and beginners the chance to experiment with new ideas, share skills and make new friends in the process. The response for this year’s exhibition has shown that art and creative expression remain powerful sources of resilience not just for artists but for all of us.

All of the works in the exhibition have been created by both longstanding and new Edinburgh Printmakers studio members. For those interested in learning more about printmaking or trying it out for the first time, there is an opportunity to book onto one of Edinburgh Printmakers’ upcoming courses.”

Hope/Dòchas will also feature two new awards supported by Daler Rowney UK and Hahnemühle Paper.

14 Nov 2024