February 15, 2018
Bringing together a variety of artists working across different media, the 2018 Hidden Door Visual Arts programme is a celebration of the festival’s spirit of curiosity and innovation.
After receiving nearly 200 submissions, 31 artists from diverse creative backgrounds have been selected. The nine invited artists and 22 selected artists are united through their commitment to local communities and an international outlook.
This global focus is exemplified in Silas Parry’s practice, which has taken him to Japan, in residencies with Shiro Oni and Studio Kura.
Rapidly changing ecology and science-fiction futures are central themes in his work, which shares its manifestly imaginative power with Julia Oborne’s colourful, playful paintings.
Whilst Oborne draws upon her Thai heritage to inform the aesthetic features of her work, Josie Rae Turnbull’s time living in Ho Chi Minh City is reflected thematically in the project which she is due to present, a photo series examining ‘the private apparatus of public entertainment’ in Vietnamese theme parks.
Jennie Bates is similarly invested in the notion of the physical environment, creating works which interrogate how the individual interacts with the world around them. Originally trained in printmaking, the artist is increasingly concerned with materiality, shifting her practice towards more 3D works.
Clara Rider’s sculptures and installations also focus on physicality, but are driven by a fascination by light and shadow and how they interact with different spaces.
Similarly, Rachel Turner creates site-specific kinetic installations which not only dialogue with, but are in some ways dependent upon, their physical setting.
Whilst Hidden Door provides these artists with an ideal location for their work, Turner is also positive about the festival’s commitment to creative development, saying that the festival “succeeds in exposing the exciting artistic community growing within Scotland.”
Invited Artists: Silas Parry, Tess Glenn, Rachel Sharpe, Stephanie Mann, Clara Halstrup, Charlie Cook, Lucy Wayman, Julia Oborne, and Zoe Griffin.
Selected Artists: Calum Scott, Camila Cavalcante, Cat Madden, Clara Rider, Daniella Turbin, Emma Rogers, Imogen Hales, Isobel Lutz-Smith & Dorine Aguerre, Jennie Bates, Jill Boualaxai, Josie Rae Turnbull, Louis Mchugh, Mara Marxt Lewis & Tyler Lewis, Marine Lefebvre, Mark Doyle, Martin Elden, Nils McDiarmid, Oana Stanciu, Rachel Turner, Robyn Braham, and Rachael Simpson.
Hidden Door 2018 will take place from 25 May – 3 June.
Join us for more announcements at the official Hidden Door Programme Launch Party, 7-10pm on Friday 2 March at the Liquid Rooms.
Returning for its fifth edition, the non-profit and volunteer-run multi arts festival Hidden Door this year heads back to Leith Theatre, following the huge success of last year’s festival – continuing what was started to transform the theatre into the major arts venue the city needs. Picking up the festival’s tradition of discovering forgotten spaces, the festival will also take up residency in Leith’s empty and derelict former State Cinema building.
With 10 days and nights of music, theatre, visual art, film and spoken word, the festival will transform these empty spaces with the help of some of the best creative talent from Scotland and beyond.