High Life Highland are delighted to announce that Inverness Museum and Art Gallery are set to open two new exhibitions this weekend.
‘Patterns of Place’ by textile artist Debbie Lee will be opening in the Small Gallery, and simultaneously, ‘Animalia’ will open in the Main Gallery – so those looking for weekend plans are encouraged to come along and enjoy both.
Cathy Shankland, High Life Highland’s Visual Arts Curator, said: “Debbie grew up on the west coast of Scotland amidst the mountains and glens, and now lives in far north in an open, windswept land with dramatic coasts and empty beaches.
“These two starkly different Highland landscapes are what inform her work, and she draws her inspiration from these familiar ‘home’ territories, employing their lines, colours and contrasts in her exquisite embroideries.
“Having studied Embroidered and Woven Textiles at Glasgow School of Art, it is most natural for Debbie’s work to depict this landscape through the medium of textiles and stitch.
“Debbie’s work is exquisite and very evocative of the Caithness landscape. They are all based on real places – one would certainly make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone special, no doubt becoming a family heirloom!
“On the other hand, ‘Animalia’ in the Main Gallery features a veritable menagerie of creatures great and small – from the sinister and subterranean, to the whimsical and humorous – gathered from the collections at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, private collections, and invited artists.
“Animals in nature have always been a source of inspiration for artists, from the earliest archaeological cave paintings of our ancestors to sharks pickled in formaldehyde.
“However, their significance and interpretation evolve with each new generation of artists and the concerns of the world in which they live.
“In historic art, animals often represented certain mythological, political or religious symbols, concepts or aspects of human nature. They now tend to be depicted as themselves rather than the personification of humans; beings of wonder, recognised for their otherness from us but imperilled and under threat from shrinking habitats and climate change.
“Artists today, as in the past, have developed new symbolic roles for animals in art, depicting birds, fish and mammals to express contemporary concepts related to land, climate and culture.
“Art has a crucial role to play in reminding us of the responsibility we have to care for the fragile natural world and threats to the species which inhabit it.
“With that in mind, I’d like to extend this invitation to all members of the public, as the evocative subject matter of both exhibitions are sure to leave a lasting impression on poignant climate issues of today.
“On a more light-hearted note, a visit to the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery make’s for an excellent break from Christmas shopping, and gives visitors the chance to enjoy great art and a cup of coffee in the cafe. You might even find that elusive Christmas gift while you are here!”
The exhibitions at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery will both run over the festive period until Saturday 13th January.
For more on what events and exhibitions are upcoming at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, take a look at the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InvMAG
