May 13, 2019
Volunteer-run arts organisation Hidden Door has revealed a diverse Visual Art programme for this year’s event, taking place at Leith Theatre from 30 May – 2 June 2019.
36 artists will contribute to Hidden Door’s largest visual art programme comprising of idiosyncratic installations, a 2D exhibition and projects by students at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Following a successful fundraising campaign to secure the organisation, the team behind Hidden Door are presenting a long weekender aimed at raising funds for a full festival return in 2020, whilst supporting and showcasing new and emerging artistic talent.
Casting an eye back over Hidden Door, from its founding years, residency in the Vaults and regeneration of the Leith Theatre, hundreds of artists have contributed to, and collectively defined the festival’s boundless ingenuity.
With a nod to the past and with an eye toward the future both seasoned and newly selected artists will adorn the walls and crevices of the Leith Theatre with the latest contemporary art from established and emerging artists alike.
Within the installation art programme, the works are united through the theme of environment, whether bringing to form imagined landscapes in the works of Lotte Fisher or exploring the political imprint upon bounded borders through Koralia Maciej’s installation. The times in which we live are probed by the artists unveiling poetic and provocative works through painting, performance and installation.
The creative window opened by these artists is brought into physical space through the work of Sax Shaw who will install a stained glass rose window within the Theatre. The design originates from a window within Orkney’s St Magnus Cathedral where Shaw’s father delivered glass restoration work during the 90s and early 2000s. The window is a self-reflective work considering heritage and the potential for alternative methods for viewing the world in which we live.
Alternative methods of viewing will likewise be explored by artist Henry Martin. Sensitively responding to the architecture of the theatre, Henry will install a series of collages, sculptures and gilded objects- the combination of each culminating in a play on perspective, and the reversal of the logic of the building from performer to viewer.
Within the corridors of the Theatre, a selection of 2D works will be found – a retrospective of sorts, highlighting the works of past contributors to Hidden Door as a collective exhibition. Thirteen artists have selected works for this exhibition, from graphic prints to intimate drawings, bringing to light the extensive range of artists that Hidden Door has fostered over the years.
Moving through the Theatre, works from postgraduate students at Edinburgh College of Art will be dispersed around the theatre, offering pockets of reflection and awareness for liminal territories relating to the environment, the self and power structures that weave the fabric of society and human experience.
Physical experience shall be dissected through the work of Dara Etefaghi as he presents ‘Inersis’, a performance exploring abstract audio visual spaces through musical, game-like compositions probing themes of chaos, dissonance and altered states.
Just as the Leith Theatre was gifted from the people of Edinburgh to the people of Leith in 1920, so too does Hidden Door offer the most extensive Visual Art programme to date; providing artists with a community in which to prosper, and an audience to inspire.
Hidden Door 2019 runs from 30 May – 2 June at Leith Theatre, Edinburgh. More about the Visual Art programme can be found here: www.hiddendoorblog.org/art
Images of the artists’ past Hidden Door exhibitions can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1TPEgWfqllAfP2zAZ7jieZrxvkpAmyj14
David Martin, Creative Director of Hidden Door, said: “Hidden Door started as a simple idea, to try and make art exhibitions a bit more interesting, more lively, by bringing art and music together to create more of an experience.
“When we first thought of doing something, we were thinking it would probably be an exhibition in a pub, with some live music to get a bit more audience interest. One thing led to another, and here we are, bringing life back into one of Scotland’s most amazing live performance spaces, cramming it full of art and music demonstrating a staggering array of creative talent. It makes me really proud that we can do this for the city.”
Artist Oana Stanciu said: “Hidden Door festival is one of the best things that happened to me since I moved to Scotland. I have been showing work here since 2015 and it has been an amazing platform for me to try new ideas and push myself to make more ambitious work every time. It is just amazing the support you’re given and being surrounded by such talented and beautiful people makes a big difference.
“Hidden door is just the best place to experiment and push your boundaries and I am happy to say that following the festival my work has ended up in galleries like the Ingleby and the Royal Scottish Academy.”
Hidden Door 2019 runs from 30 May – 2 June at Leith Theatre, Edinburgh.
Images of the artists’ past Hidden Door exhibitions can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1TPEgWfqllAfP2zAZ7jieZrxvkpAmyj14
Images of the venue and music acts are available to download here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dtnvxpuxf1kx0fd/AACZoS5deCGU3EfAw_YjoDO7a?dl=0
Tickets are now on sale at www.hiddendoorblog.org/tickets
More about the Visual Art programme can be found here: www.hiddendoorblog.org/art
Hidden Door is an arts organisation which aims to open up urban spaces as a platform for new and emerging artists, musicians, theatre makers, performers, film makers and poets. Through organising temporary events Hidden Door works to showcase new work and create engaging environments for the public to experience, explore and discover.
Web: www.hiddendoorblog.org
Hashtag: #HiddenDoor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hiddendoorarts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiddendoor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiddendoorarts
Contact press@hiddendoorblog.org for more information, to arrange interviews or for additional photographs.
