Translate into Polish or Ukrainian
A young Perth artist is preparing to unveil new work at a prestigious Edinburgh exhibition showcasing the best of Scotland’s emerging talent.
Laura Porteous (22) is among 61 graduates from across Scotland’s art and architecture schools to be selected for the eighth annual Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) New Contemporaries show which will be held at the RSA Galleries from March 5 to 30.
The exhibition provides a platform to showcase the work done by young artists and designers in Scotland, across the fields of painting, sculpture, film making, architecture and installation.
Laura, alongside eight other Robert Gordon University (RGU) graduates, has been given a unique opportunity to launch her career by exhibiting for a wider audience, after her successful participation at last year’s RGU Degree Show.
The former Perth Academy pupil, who graduated from Gray’s School of Art at RGU with a degree in painting last year, says she is delighted to be included in the exhibition.
She said: “I am excited now that the work has been handed in and I am not stressed about it anymore, so I can now look forward to the opening. The run up to it has been great and has pushed me to experiment with new projects.
“It is such a fantastic opportunity to reach my career goals, with so many opportunities that could arise from the New Contemporaries exhibition. It also allows the artists involved to meet a range of influential people in the industry that are invited to the opening evening.”
Laura has created eight new pieces for the show as part of a series called ‘Modus Operandi’, a continuation of her Degree Show work in which she drew inspiration from Dutch painter Pieter Mondrian to challenge the concepts of time and space.
She said: “Spatialism and the research of this determines the outcome of my works. A system based approach is used where rules and guidelines play a key role, and exploring the limitations of paint through processes such as origami have become principal.
“Comprehending space and the fourth dimension, are regulative ideologies to me, encouraging viewers to consider the physical mass materials consume.
“Deterioration has become a significant aspect as it could be considered a visual representation of the fourth dimension, which many theorists believe to be time. A work that can demonstrate age or become time based itself is something I am keen to create.”
Since graduating Laura has been working full-time in Glasgow and has recently moved back to Perthshire, as well as working on her new work.
Looking back at her time at art school, she said: “I feel a bit sad that my time at Gray’s is over, though it was the most beneficial years of my life. I met so many friends and influential people during my time there, and learned a lot about myself and my own work.
“In particular I miss the freedom of being a full time student and being able to spend so much time in my studio.”
A variety of monetary awards and prizes will be awarded at the exhibition, in addition to residency, studio memberships and purchase prizes.
For more information, visit www.royalscottishacademy.org
