Teviot: Until May 31st
The world of student art has always been very much alive in our fair city. With the University of Edinburgh’s renowned art college hosting a seemingly endless number of creative exhibitions, open to students and city-dwellers alike, the latest event is in light of a movement toward underlining even further, the importance of art on campus. In this way, the launch of the Eusa Student Art Exhibition was a night bustling with eclecticism, excitement and opportunity.
A live band perched in the corner of Teviot’s exhibition room, and the hubbub of discussion flowing throughout, interested spectators looked on at the display of artwork encircling the venue. Whilst the vivacity of the evening was definitely compounded by the courteous waiters supplying free wine, the attraction generated by the chosen pieces was genuine. Handpicked as a result of a call for submissions, each artwork has the potential to be purchased by the University to become a permanent part of the institution’s artistic fabric. In the hope that this movement will emphasise the significance of student effort and contribution, alongside the breadth of opportunities provided by EUSA, the exhibition will be open until May, whilst the chosen artists are thrilled with the exposure this event has given them.
The array of disciplines on show, comprising photography, illustration, pencil sketches and fine painting, not only worked to highlight the variety of talent selected, but was a refreshingly different approach to exhibiting art, and one seldom experienced in galleries. Furthermore, the profusion of illustrative submissions marked a change from customary viewing, and indicated the way in which a large proportion of the artwork intimately reflected student interests as well as the aesthetic values of today’s young people. Rosanna Corfe’s beautifully stylistic watercolours depicting animal interpretations, contrasted well with the breathtaking intricacy of Kesar Khinvasara’s mandelas, which rightfully earned their place within the exhibition.
Within the scope of illustration, it was interesting to see how the cityscape itself had inspired certain pieces, such as those by Victoria Ball, who utilised a stylish colour scheme and block shapes underneath detailed lines in order to recreate some of Edinburgh’s most beloved scenes. Notably, it was seen that Lizzie Quirke had the same subject in mind, but elevated her submission to brilliance through a fascinating manipulation of architectural shape and proportion.
Perhaps the only downside of the exhibition was the space in which it was presented. The smooth, blanched minimalism of art galleries tends to work best when displaying art of small proportions and warm colour, whilst the hazy, darkly lit room adjacent to Teviot’s New Amphion seemed slightly too chaotic to draw the complete attention of spectators. Nonetheless, Edinburgh’s Student Art Exhibition is a worthy attraction united by important principles.
Image: Maccoinnich-commonswiki (Wikipedia)
