Palimpsest: Society of Scottish Artists
18 May – 29 June

A new exhibition, ‘Palimpsest’ featuring artwork by 24 leading artists from across Scotland and beyond opens 18 May 2019 at An Lanntair, Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.

Originally inspired by the idea of Palimpsest, ‘something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form’, this exhibition includes a unique selection of artworks create in response to this concept.

The exhibition is the result of an ongoing partnership between the Society of Scottish Artists and An Lanntair.

Exhibiting Artists
Marion Archibald, Nina Bacos, Juliana Capes, Jessica Copping, Joan Doerr, Pippa Gatty, Su Grierson, Susie Leiper, David Lemm, Kirsty Lorenz, James Lumsden, Norman Macbeath, Gillian McFarland, Celine McIlmunn, Martin McKenna, Mary Morrison, Marcel O’Connor, Jenny Pope, Ray Rankine, David Smith, Gerry Smith, Karen Spy, Sonja Witts, Christine Wylie.

Islander: Donald Smith
6 July – 17 Aug

Born in rural Lewis in 1926, Donald John Smith was – wrote Gray’s School of Art Principal Ian Fleming in 1958 – ‘the outstanding student of his year … unquestionably a man of great ability as an artist.” He would go on to be exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy, Society of Scottish Artists, Aberdeen Artists, An Lanntair and elsewhere. His painting acknowledged movements in Europe and America, but remained resolutely local in its subject. From his studio on the West Side of Lewis from 1974 to his death in 2014, his intense, lyrical images of Island fishermen and women celebrate the indomitability of the human spirit. A landmark exhibition.

Accompanying the show is ‘Donald Smith, The Paintings of an Islander’, published by Acair. Richly illustrated with drawings, paintings and portraits, along with insightful essays in Gaelic and English.

First There is a Mountain: Katie Paterson
7 July at Coll Beach

First There is a Mountain is a new artwork by Katie Paterson that connects the public to the world’s diverse mountains ranges. Touring from 31 March to 27 October 2019, the project involves the creation of a set of ‘buckets and spades’ in the form of world mountains, from which the public will be invited to build mountains of sand across the UK coastline and play out the world’s natural geography against a series of tidal times. Each pail is a scale model of five of Earth’s mountains: Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Shasta (USA), Mount Fuji (Asia), Stromboli (Europe), and Uluru (Oceania), are nested together.

All That I Do: Tom Hickman
24 Aug – 5 Oct

As much a homage and testament to an extraordinary artist and collector, the core of this exhibition is a series of gorgeous, narrative stump-work embroideries of biblical scenes, from the Garden of Eden to Noah’s Ark to the Nativity. Also displayed will be a wide range of rare, unusual and esoteric works from Tom’s collection. These include furniture pieces, naïve folk art and complex and beautiful assemblages created from shells from South West Australia to North West Scotland.

Nalini: Arpita Shah
12 Oct -16 Nov

A deeply personal photo-essay on family across continents that explores the shared narratives of migration and the Indian Diaspora.

Grinneas nan Eilean
28 Nov – 18 Jan 2020

The Islands Open exhibition returns! Multiple works in multiple genres by artists resident or from the Outer Hebrides.

Submission deadline 16th Nov, Download your Grinneas Entry Form for 2019 here. .

For information on submission please email Head of Visual Arts Roddy Murray at roddy@lanntair.com