The sea, the communities around it and the environmental changes reshaping Scotland’s coastline come together in a new exhibition opening at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 22 August.
Shimmering brings new work by Royal Scottish Academy artists Anne Bevan and Mary Bourne to Inverness until 17 October, using sculpture, photography, moving image and archival material to explore relationships between people, place and the sea.
Both artists have strong connections with northern Scotland and have approached the exhibition through their own experiences of its landscapes, wildlife and coastal communities.
Their work also engages with some considerably larger questions facing those communities, including renewable energy, climate change, biodiversity loss and the future of coastal ecosystems.
Orkney based Anne Bevan draws upon marine energy research, geology and maritime culture, with recent residencies connected to renewable energy contributing to the development of her work.
Anne said:
“For me it’s been a really satisfying process to explore the connections between older works and newly developed ideas, particularly drawing on the experience of recent residencies connected to renewable energy.
“It’s also been really enjoyable working with the excellent team at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery and with Mary on this exhibition, and now we’re looking forward to sharing this with gallery visitors.”
Moray based Mary Bourne has taken a more personal route into some of the same questions through the legacy of her father, acclaimed ornithologist and conservationist Dr WRP Bourne.
Her new work examines biodiversity loss, conservation, grief and the vulnerability of living systems, using natural stone including quartz and dense black Scottish basalt.
Mary said:
“Working in natural stones, including quartz and dense black Scottish basalt, I have explored the fine lines between light and dark, weight and weightlessness and life and absence of life.
“The process of developing this exhibition in conversation with Anne and the Inverness Museum & Art Gallery curatorial team has been deeply enriching and I am excited to see it come together in the gallery.”
Shimmering forms part of RSA200 Celebrating Together, a programme taking contemporary art beyond Scotland’s major centres and into communities around the country.
Kirsten Body, Visual Art Curator at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, said:
“We are delighted to be part of this this national celebration of Royal Scottish Academy.
“This exhibition will highlight artists working in rural communities and engaging audiences around issues such as biodiversity loss and renewable energy within the context of a global climate crisis.”
Jane Matthews, RSA200 Project Manager, added:
“Shimmering reflects the RSA200 Celebrating Together programme’s commitment to sharing nationally significant contemporary art with audiences and communities across Scotland.”
Visitors will also have an opportunity to meet both artists when Bevan and Bourne lead an informal tour of the exhibition at 2pm on Saturday 22 August, with no booking required.
Shimmering runs at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery on Castle Wynd from 22 August until 17 October.
