SCAN member + staff picks: Edinburgh Art Festival 2024
This year Edinburgh Art Festival celebrates its 20th birthday, with a city-wide programme that aims to connect with infrastructures of care, grassroots services and pioneering activist movements. A host of SCAN members are part of this year’s festival, which draws inspiration from those who inspire change, enable solidarity, and facilitate structures for building collective futures.
Not sure where to start with the programme? We asked SCAN members and staff for their personal picks of the festival, which runs in venues across Edinburgh from 9–25 August.
Panel
“I love what Panel do, and really appreciate the time and consideration they put into their curated projects. Thinking about the city and how it shapes our cultural lives has long interested me. Voices of Experience cast an intersectional feminist lens on the city, and I’m interested in understanding more about their work.” – Shireen Taylor, Co-director of Offline and SCAN Finance Administrator
Prem Sahib
“In a time where words can appear to inflame and incite violence on our streets this reworking and distorting of Suella Braverman’s infamous immigration speech reminds us of how spiteful careless language can distort, be weaponised and made into a battle cry for unthinking bigotry. It feels beautifully paired with the masterful Liquid Gold installation, also by Prem.” – Nicky Wilson, Co-founder of Jupiter Artland.
Brigitte Baptiste
“My pick is this discussion event with Brigitte Baptiste. Baptiste is part of Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) who will be showing work and hosting discursive events at the Royal Botanic Garden. She had me at “Nothing’s more queer than nature”.” – Lydia Honeybone, Co-director of Offline and SCAN Programme Lead
PLATFORM24: Early Career Artist Award at City Art Centre
Alaya Ang, Edward Gwyn Jones (pictured), Tamara MacArthur (top image), Kialy Tihngang
“It’s the 10th iteration of the award that has supported over 30 emerging artists through EAF. Supporting early career artists is super important and the selected artists look brilliant.” – Emma Gibson, Co-founder of Deluxe Miscellanea and SCAN Member Development Officer (Highland)
“Platform is a brilliant chance to catch early career artists in a focused and supported presentation, and an important opportunity when commissions like this are increasingly rare. I can’t wait to see new work by Alaya Ang, Edward Gwyn Jones, Tamara MacArthur and Kialy Tihngang.” – Moira Jeffrey, SCAN Director
Home: Ukrainian Photography, UK Words at Stills: Centre for Photography
Igor Chekachkov, Alexander Chekmenev (pictured), Nazar Furyk, Mykhaylo Palinchak, Polina Polikarpova, Andriy Rachinskiy, Elena Subach, Daria Svertilova
“I’m looking forward to this exhibition because Stills’ programme has been great under Ben Harman (who has now moved on to NGS) and because we live in a world of conflict. Being able to see how contemporary photographers play witness, guide or healer in the context of the Ukraine will be moving.” – James Clegg, Curator at Talbot Rice Gallery
Hybrids at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Jan Pimblet
“Since the programme was announced, I’ve been really intrigued by the image of a bejewelled hand by artist Jan Pimblett who has created a new public commission for the view from the street space at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. I’m looking forward to seeing this collection of strange objects and artefacts, worked and reworked behind the glass. A visit to ESW means that I’ll also get the chance to view What a Wonderful Day in a Wonderful World which is a mural, a work of art and a piece of activism by Ukranian artists Kristina Yarosh and Anna Khodova. And then of course, back to sculpture to see Everything is Satisfactual by Sequioa Danielle Barnes which is a new body of work which deconstructs the history of black representation within kitsch toy culture.” – Helen Moore, SCAN Membership Lead
Various artists and performers
“I’ve missed this every year and am desperate to go! It always looks like a brilliant blend of fun, challenging and experimental work. A real chance to immerse yourself in some art.” – Shireen Taylor, Co-director of Offline and SCAN Finance Administrator
Edinburgh Art Festival takes place 9–25 August