The vacuous space of The Out of The Blue Drill Hall is host to a collection of work by recent graduates and undergraduates working in Scotland. The organisers' manifesto to unpretentiously curate the work of the more established artists alongside those still studying withstands scrutiny, and the outlook is a testament to the multiplicity of contemporary art.
With a map and the artist's statements to conduct us, the anonymous works are contextualised. Instead of being claustrophobically descriptive of the singular pieces, these few words provide an insight to the individual oeuvres that have informed the artworks; a consideration important to any group show. The two booth-encased video works of Max Swinton and Rachel Maclean are testament to the great potential of this medium for artists. In these confined environments the work is absorbed without distraction. Appropriately curated within the exhibition, these internal spaces allow some of the work to be hidden aiding a slower reveal to the exhibition as a whole. The double-height space in which the exhibition sits allows the first floor balcony to become an important vantage point; the angle giving Denise Torrance's 'The Sky Does Fall' an alternative facet, otherwise missed from the initial outlook. Having the ability to survey the works in this way becomes an important feature of the 'showcase' aspect to the exhibition.
Maclean's work is a standout in any show; as she adopts the technicolor aesthetic she simultaneously critiques, the falseness of the celebrity consumed media becomes dissected. The vivacity of her exhibited piece is a juxtaposition to the sculptural pieces on the main floor; which with collectively soft hues and in natural materials have a continuity to be gently consumed. Jamie Fitzpatrick's hybrid taxidermic creations offer the comedic touch to the show, universally visually affirmative but nonetheless stimulating. Nearby, the ominous black feathers of 'After Freya and Daedalus' congruously draws upon associations with animals to convey an alternative response from a similar stimulus. The development of a completeness to the exhibition is exemplified in the display of Hope-Johnstone's drawings, as recognisable in the advertising poster, and acting as an overall reminder of the versatility in creativity of this generation of artists and the sometimes indistinguishable collaboration of fine art and design.
Such is the ambition, flair and professionalism with which the event is curated that the audience may well be unaware that Candid's organisers and curators are yet to graduate themselves. It is appropriate to the aspirations of the exhibition, then, that this showcase of young talent is not descriptive of the artists alone.
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