Through the 'Castle Mills Then & Now: Whose Gallery Is It Anyway?' exhibit, the Edinburgh Printmakers gallery hopes to encourage its visitors to question the role of art institutions in society. Photo: Shutterstock / SeventyFour
Who hasn't dreamed, when strolling around a museum, of curating their own art exhibition someday? Visitors to the Edinburgh Printmakers gallery in Scotland's capital will be able to do just that, as part of a new interactive exhibition opening soon.
This participatory exhibition is entitled Castle Mills Then & Now: Whose Gallery Is It Anyway?
Edinburgh Printmakers describes it as "a real-time, in-person interactive experience" through which each visitor can learn more about the visual arts "in a friendly and welcoming environment."
With this in mind, members of the public won't just be passive. They'll be invited, if they wish, to exhibit their own creations, including prints, drawings, textiles and sculptures. They can also take on the role of curator and arrange the selected works as they see fit.
"As the public continuously modifies the exhibition, it will never remain exactly the same, prompting a reflection on printmaking and the visual arts that goes beyond a single curator’s selection," Edinburgh Printmakers explains in a news release.
Through the Castle Mills Then & Now: Whose Gallery Is It Anyway? exhibit, the Edinburgh Printmakers gallery hopes to encourage its visitors to question the role of art institutions in society.
In recent decades, the face and spirit of art venues have undergone profound change, with a move towards greater diversity and inclusivity. Museum and gallery directors are seeking to innovate in order to attract new audiences, at a time when the average age of visitors is rising steadily and the least privileged social categories are turning away from cultural venues.
The art world will have to wait until April 19, when Castle Mills Then & Now: Whose Gallery Is It Anyway? opens, to see how Edinburgh Printmakers' idea plays out.
In any case, this exhibition lands just a few weeks after an employee of Munich's Pinakothek der Moderne hit the headlines after hanging one of his own paintings in the museum's galleries without permission. The amateur artist had hoped to make a name for himself and break into the art world. He was eventually dismissed and banned from the museum, according to The Guardian.
Castle Mills Then & Now: Whose Gallery Is It Anyway? runs from April 19 to June 30 at Edinburgh Printmakers, Scotland. - AFP
