Popular Art Walk Porty festival steps up to the easel

Art lovers can take a walk around Portobello’s creative spaces with the return today of the Art Walk Porty Festival, which runs until next Sunday, 12 September.

Thirty commercial premises and private homes will play host to a wide range of contemporary installations, exhibitions and live art.

Local business supporting the event and hosting artists include Velvet Easel Gallery, Tanifiki coffee shop, Miro’s Pantry and Miro’s Prom, Skylark bar and bistro and tapas hotspot Malvarosa.

Most of the private “art houses” are open over the two weekends but times vary and some are also by appointment during the week. A guided walk with Alexander Champion, a ceramics postcard participatory project with Rebecca Stuart, artist talk with Sarah Knox, performance poetry with Robin Baillie, and an outdoor children’s workshop with Peter Jones, are some of the other highlights.

Iranian artist, Iman Tajik, will instal three public works on Portobello Beach and Promenade that centre around the geographic border and relate to his own crossing of borders to Scotland. The installations bring into focus Portobello’s own

geographical location and its position to the city centre.

An artist/choreographer collaboration with local participants, Future Value, brings movement and gesture to many public spaces in and around Portobello’s historic brick kilns, inviting the question of how we relate to, and are shaped by, the city that surrounds us.

Art Walk Porty curator and director, Rosy Naylor, said: “The festival is back, renewed and ready to bring contemporary installations, exhibitions and live art to Edinburgh’s Seaside.

“This year’s Assemble programme draws upon an increased sense of art as a means for social change, of artivism that seems so relevant in relation to recent times living through the pandemic, and also to what lies ahead, when we consider climate change.

“As ever the Art Walk opens up new ways of seeing and embracing local spaces. It invites audiences into many artist spaces, cafes and studios as part of its Art Houses & Art Cafes programme. Thirty venues host local and visiting artists work, which celebrates the cultural creativity of Portobello.”

Maps, guides and other festival information can be picked up at the Art Walk Hub at 189 Portobello High Street and walkers can download a Walksy App to record the places they visit. For information and programme details visit here