This month I am thrilled to be visiting the cities of Beijing and Shanghai  with the purpose of studying examples of contemporary and traditional Ink Painting with assistance from the William Gilles Bequest Fund through the Royal Scottish Academy.

The practice of the medium of ink, in painting and drawing is very different between East and West visual cultures, but has influence in both directions for centuries. My own interest in the practice of ink work has developed to the point where direct contact with and influence by both traditional and contemporary practices within the visual cultures of P R China could be a desired development to my own work.

I plan to visit to visit various art institutes in Beijing and make contact with the new generation of contemporary galleries and art communities in Beijing which have blossomed over the past ten years. I look forward to meeting with Chinese artists of my own generation and to visit their studios. I will complete my current trip this month with four days in Shanghai to look at the new architecture, an impossibly brief visit to EXPO 2010, and yet more art & artists!

This scholarly initiative will hopefully be the basis for setting up a more prolonged period of research and practice in an institute of Chinese ink painting in Beijing followed by an artist’s residency post and a chance to travel within the country.

Wish me luck!   Here are some recent examples of my work exploring the medium of ink

Anticipated Outcomes

• The development of my own practice as an artist through dialogue and exposure to complimentary art practices from Chinese Visual Arts Culture
• The critical first stage towards a major publication and an exhibition/installation in the Royal Scottish Academy and a Beijing Contemporary Art Space in 2013/14 possibly featuring my work and that of a Chinese artist, demonstrating a scholarly and creative dialogue between artists from both cultures

As one of the invited artists at the RSA Annual Exhibition, curated this year by Ian MacCulloch as a part of  “The Expressive Arts and Social Involvement’, I made  a drawing in charcoal directly onto the wall of the RSA 3m x 3.5 m over a period of 3 days before the show opened.

Titled ‘The Haymarket Pibroch’, it is a contemporary street lament for the displaced peoples of Edinburgh during the Tramworks of the past few years.  The process of making the drawing was documented and edited into a 6 minute  audio-visual by Michael Wolchover with soundtrack  by Gary West and Wendy Stewart. These and other new drawings can be seen at the Royal Scottish Academy until June 23rd.   for opening times etc see  http://www.royalscottishacademy.org

The whole exhibition has been well reviewed and is worth a visit if you are visiting  Edinburgh soon! gilessutherland.blogspot.com