Hidden Door festival in Edinburgh, taking place on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd November, is welcoming a dynamic mix of emerging and established Scottish artists, exploring concepts of transformation, reclamation, and re-imagined histories. Visitors are invited to venture into a realm where boundaries are undefined, to experience this immersive and captivating event.
The cavernous venue of The Paper Factory’s venue launch provides an exciting opportunity for Hidden Door’s artists to work on a massive scale. Jo Fleming Smith will evolve her work Flood from 2023 into a large-scale installation of her paintings on raw canvases, cascading from the height of the space, bringing a sense of nature into the industrial environment.
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Justine Watt turns discarded domestic items into intimate sculptures, scrutinizing the crossroads of craftsmanship and sustainability.
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Remi Jablecki‘s artistic practice is influenced by the power of secrets and personal incidents that queer life holds. Their ecologically-inspired works emphasize the concept of nature reclaiming industrial space, a theme we are bringing to life in our November art program.
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The expansive nature of The Paper Factory allows the return of Beth Shapeero and Fraser Taylor’s collaborative textile banners, first exhibited at Hidden Door 2021 in Granton. These works, created through a dynamic printing process that merges spontaneity and control, blend different visual elements into cohesive and layered compositions. It will be exciting to see how this new setting enhances the impact of their process-driven collaboration.
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Known for her mixed-media installations, Rachel Bride Ashton explores rituals of the body and the “monstrous feminine” through ceramics, papier-mâché, and film. Rachel’s work delves into the complex relationship between human and non-human interactions, aligning with our theme of nature reclaiming industrial spaces.
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Marly Merle uses her art practice to explore imagined and alternate realities, creating artworks that provoke ideas around new and better places in which to exist. Focusing on ideas of ‘otherness’ and rejecting societal norms, Marly’s artwork for our November launch event uses wearable sculpture to question a person’s own lived reality.
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Christian Sloan’s work explores themes of futurism and environmental disaster, examining the materials and structures that will define the legacy of modern society, such as concrete, metal, glass, and plastic, contrasting them with the stone, wood, and clay of ancient civilizations. Through repetition and simple forms, Sloan’s sculptures provide a contemplative experience that reflects on the chaos of modern society, juxtaposed with the imposing presence of large structures.
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More Visual Artists will be announced in the coming days, adding to the line-up of Music Artists already announced, including Big Joanie, HotWax and Jane Weaver.
For more information on Hidden Door festival including tickets, please check out the website and facebook.
