Lada Wilson : South - Meet the Artist

This exhibition – South – is inspired by the Scottish Fisheries Museum, its rich history, its intriguing exhibition programme and, directly, the museum’s geographical position – on the shoreline, facing south.

For Lada Wilson the concept ‘south’ itself and the many notions it conveys are as inspirational as the exhibits in the museum. South is often experienced as a faraway place – warm, different, somewhere we have to sail the seas to reach. Wilson spent more than half her life living in the south and, in her art practice, she typically uses words and languages, which led her to envision SOUTH as an acronym for: Sometimes Our Uttermost Thoughts Hover. This expansion of SOUTH closely reflects the precariousness of life endured by fishing families. But it could also have a more contemplative meaning: a yearning for sun and warmth that places in the south offer.

In creating the exhibition, Wilson has explored the potential of a number of materials, pushing them playfully to transform in unexpected ways. The exhibition can be seen as a collection within the museum’s collection. She has adopted a multidisciplinary approach that includes photography, digital prints, collages, kiln-fired glass and ceramics. This new body of work responds to the term ‘south’ and to exhibits in the Scottish Fisheries Museum. Also, responding to the specific gallery space provided by the museum, each display cabinet can be seen as an art installation in itself, a tableau with its own story. Located as it is in a windowless gallery at the heart of the museum, the exhibition aims to evoke contemplation. Perhaps the ceramic letters that form the names of boats that once sailed from Anstruther harbour could become vessels for thoughts, transporting you to a place in the south ….. or you might just let your thoughts hover…

The exhibition is open from 2nd February until 3 March

Sunday 17 February 2019 from 2–4 pm: An afternoon at the museum | Meet the artist

An invitation to spend time at the museum and meet the artist who will talk about her work in the new exhibition. In addition, there will be a reading by Eileen Montador, a native of the fishing village of St Monans, from her book Shriek of the Maws –A tale of Scottish Fisher Folk and a traditional guitar piece from Samuele Zara, a Sardinian performer and musician based in Edinburgh.

Free entry, refreshments by donation