Gunpowder artwork unveiled at Perth Museum and Art Gallery

A new work by an artist whose innovative approach has been making waves in the art world has been added to the permanent collection of Perth Museum and Art Gallery.

Frank To, who uses gunpowder in the creative process, was commissioned to create a gunpowder image infused on copper plate.

The piece has gone on display in a new exhibition which features a number of other paintings by the Perth College UHI lecturer.

These are prepared using gunpowder mixed with oil paints which the artist admits is a “high risk” strategy. “There is a 50% chance the painting will be ruined,” said Mr To.

He explained he had been drawn to the unusual technique as he wanted to make the creation of artworks “exciting, dangerous and sexy”.

Mr To, who counts Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart among his fans, was inspired to use fire in his work after the blaze which nearly destroyed Glasgow’s School of Art in May 2014.

The exhibition’s paintings have been inspired by the collections of the museum and art gallery and include natural history subjects including insects while the commissioned piece, which features a sickle, is a nod to the area’s agricultural past.

Mr To was helped in preparing the exhibition by a research assistant from Perth College UHI, Tabitha McKechnie.

The exhibition, entitled Encounter, is part of the Platform Festival 2018 which aims to “push creative boundaries”.

Mr To is the only Scottish male artist this year to have been officially selected for the Royal Society of British Artists 2018 exhibition in London.

Picture: Steve MacDougall. Artist Frank To with his work.