Sabhal Mòr Ostaig artist in residence
Australian artist Kim Anderson has been named Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s (SMO) new artist in residence, under the Jon Schueler Residency Programme.
The scholarship, which has been running for seven years at the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture on Skye, is a unique partnership between the centre and the Jon Schueler Charitable Trust, with support from the Royal Scottish Academy.
It was established to celebrate and remember the life, work and artistic influence of internationally renowned artist and abstract expressionist painter Jon Schueler (19161992) and in recognition of his special relationship with the landscape and environment of the Sound of Sleat.
Kim, from Ballarat, Victoria, completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at the University of Ballarat, Australia, and in 2007 was awarded a scholarship to study a Master of Fine Art at the University of Dundee. Since then, she has undertaken a number of residencies, including an Australia Council International Studio Residency at the British School at Rome, in Echigo-Tsumari, Japan, at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland, and at DRA-Winternational in Caylus, France, supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
In 2010 Kim received an Art Start Grant from the Australia Council and has created and curated projects supported by Arts Victoria, the City of Melbourne and Regional Arts Victoria. Kim has also exhibited around Australia and abroad and been a finalist in numerous national awards including the Paul Guest Award, the Rick Amor Drawing Prize and the Hazelhurst Art Award. In 2018, Kim was a core artist of the Biennale of Australian Art.
On her SMO residency, Kim said: ‘I feel so incredibly thrilled and honoured to be awarded the Jon Schueler Scholarship for 2019.
‘It is a real validation of the direction I have recently been pursuing in my work – focusing on themes of ecological grief and mourning in the face of climate change and irreversible damage to the environment.
‘I am looking forward to engaging with Gaelic culture and developing a new body of work, a new series of largescale drawings and soundscapes inspired by Gaelic traditional songs, poetry and the extraordinary landscape on the isle of Skye.’
Last year’s residency artist, Rachel Schmidt, will be opening a solo show at the Hamiltonian Gallery in Washington DC on January 12, featuring new work that is the direct result of the residency at SMO. During her time at SMO, Rachel worked collaboratively with a young Gaelic artist and recent graduate of Glasgow School of Art along with sound artist/ musician Hector MacInnes presenting a live installation/ sound/performance event at SMO.