Staff at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) are taking part in a group exhibition called Artists at Work 2 at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
The exhibition celebrates the creative talents of more than 100 staff members working in the organisation and runs until February 2023. It is a celebration of the passion and skill of a team charged with caring for and sharing the national art collection for the world.
The exhibition displays a wide range of artistic disciplines, from paintings, drawings, illustration and photography to sculpture and jewellery making. All are created by gallery attendants, conservators and retail team workers and others. The exhibition follows the success of the first Artists at Work exhibition in 2018.
Artist at Work curators ran an open-call submission internally in the organisation earlier this year and were amazed at the response. There are 121 artists exhibiting in the show with 157 works on display. Each artwork is supported with information labels that offer insight on the artist, their methods, process, and how their concept came about. There was no prescriptive theme for the open call which allowed artists to choose art forms and concepts that are personal to their own artistic style and thematic objectives. Themes range from realism to surrealism, the natural world around us and some choose to celebrate topics such as gender and identity with their own personal inflections. From self-portraits to local landscapes, photographic observations of lockdown life to interpretations of pop culture – Artists at Work 2 is a selection of artistic talent, colourful reflections, and thoughtful interpretations.
The curatorial team responsible for the exhibition are also themselves exhibitors. The project leads were Darren Duddy and Victoria Gazeley with Aitor Moncho Tudanca (Visitor Assistant) and Silvia Baarlam (Gallery Attendant, Scottish National Portrait Gallery) working alongside them to coordinate the show.
NGS Gallery Shift Attendant, Victoria Gazeley who has co-curated and who has contributed to the exhibition, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting this exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. The work on display represents the vast talents of National Galleries of Scotland colleagues and we’re delighted to offer a platform to spotlight this. Following on from the popularity of our first Artists at Work exhibition in 2018, we are looking to dazzle our audiences again in a gallery space that matches our growing ambitions. Many talented artists work across our organisation and this exhibition is a wonderful way to celebrate their creativity.”
Darren Duddy, Co-Curator and Conservation Technician at NGS, said: “A gallery is more than just a building and the artworks within. It is also about the people. This exhibition is a great opportunity to see what those of us who work, and volunteer here do in our free time. It is a difficult time for artists, and this is a great way for working artists to get their work seen in a national exhibition.”
The first Artists at Work exhibition was held in 2018 and excelled with 300,000 visitors seeing it. We are delighted to be able to create another exhibition, this time moving from the Scottish National Gallery to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Photography Gallery where we have more designated space to display the fantastic works.The exhibition is open to public from Sat 29 October in Gallery 13 (Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery), Level 1 West, Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Artists at Work 2: Exhibition celebrating talented colleagues at the National Galleries of Scotland
29 Oct 2022—12 Feb 2023
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery
1 Queen Street, Edinburgh
EH2 1JD| 0131 624 6200 |nationalgalleries.org|
Admission Free
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