Philip Long, Curator, Scotland and Venice 2007, said:
Scottish art is at one of its most progressive moments and our chosen artists represent this position in the form of six highly individual talents. As with the heterogeneous character of the Biennale, the work of Charles Avery, Henry Coombes, Louise Hopkins, Rosalind Nashashibi, Lucy Skaer and Tony Swain is diverse, exciting and unpredictable.
Each artist, however, seems to us to share as part of their concern an interest in cultural similarities and differences, and the issues such differences present. Some on occasion use invented worlds to investigate their concerns; others make use of comparisons, real situations or look back into history. What is clear is that each artist works with such ability and often with such surprising and new means that they have the power to alter perceptions.
| Working across a range of media, Avery's art is characterised by formal beauty, humour and a spirit of philosophical enquiry. Read more... |  |
| Henry Coombes' work is concerned with investigating the entrenched political, cultural and class connotations of the traditional media in which he works. Read more... |  |
| Using a variety of materials such as furnishing fabric, newspapers and comic strips Louise Hopkins's work presents itself first and foremost as a sensuous, painterly practice. Read more... |  |
| Observation of group interaction and social rituals are the starting points for Rosalind Nashashibi, who uses primarily 16mm film. Read more... |  |
| Skaer's drawings utilise found imagery sourced from photojournalistic reportage. Working on paper the main substance of her drawings is graphite to which she adds enamel paint, ink and gold leaf. Read more... |  |
| A sheet or cut section of newsprint provides the basis from which Tony Swain creates paintings depicting complex and surreal private worlds. Read more... |  |
