Audrey Grant, On the Concept of History II (for Walter Benjamin), C type print, 76 x 105 cm
We are delighted to announce that three gallery artists have been accepted for the first Scottish Landscape Awards.
The biennial event is open to anyone over 16 years born, living or studying in Scotland, and for works in any media. The Scottish Landscape Awards exhibition will be held at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh where it will occupy two floors and run from 4 November 2023 to 3 March 2024. The Scottish Landscape Awards will be held every 2 to 3 years, on each occasion moving to a different region and gallery within Scotland.
Audrey Grant, Andrew Mackenzie and Emily Moore will all have work in this year's exhibition. We have been in touch with the artists to find out more about the selected works.
Audrey Grant, On the Concept of History II (for Walter Benjamin):
This B&W analogue photograph was taken in inside the former RAF Aircraft Hanger, Grangemouth during its redevelopment in January 2023. I received special permission to photograph it before its next transformation. The building was stripped out to reveal the original structure. I grew up in Grangemouth and lived opposite this iconic building and wanted to capture its interior before it disappears.The title comes from Walter Benjamin’s essay 'Thesis on the Concept of History' and is a current theme in my work and in particular to my ongoing Grangemouth project.
Andrew Mackenzie, Quarry 4, Blue:
Quarry 4, Blue takes its starting point from a small, abandoned quarry near where I live in the Scottish Borders, a tree-grown hollow between fields on a hillside. I drew and photographed it repeatedly in winter 2021 after a light covering of snow, including fencing from nearby.
The making of the painting then had its own trajectory; trying to work out entangled relationships between colour and form while listening to what’s happening during the process and improvising a response.
Emily Moore, My bones follow your tracks:
The mountain image is taken from one of many photographs I took whilst visiting Les Deux Alpes, a high-altitude resort town in the French Alps. The mountain peaks are a constant dominating presence, towering over the resort. ‘My bones follow your tracks’ was part of a new body of work I began at the beginning of the year. The painting is built up in several layers which allowed me to experiment with various new painting techniques whilst also attempting to evoke the atmospheric depth of the mountains.
