Perth graduate to showcase work at Edinburgh exhibition

A young Perth artist is preparing to unveil new work at an Edinburgh exhibition showcasing the best of Scotland’s emerging talent.

Laura Porteous is among 61 graduates from Scotland’s art and architecture schools to be selected for the eighth annual Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) New Contemporaries show, which will be held at the RSA Galleries until March 30.

The exhibition provides a platform to showcase the work done by young artists and designers in Scotland, across the fields of painting, sculpture, film making, architecture and installation.

Laura, alongside eight other Robert Gordon University (RGU) graduates, has been given an opportunity to launch her career by exhibiting for a wider audience, after her involvement at last year’s RGU degree show.

The former Perth Academy pupil, who graduated with a degree in painting last year, said: “I am excited now that the work has been handed in and I am not stressed about it anymore, so I can now look forward to the opening.

“The run up to it has been great and has pushed me to experiment with new projects.

“It is such a fantastic opportunity to reach my career goals, with so many opportunities that could arise from the New Contemporaries exhibition.

“It also allows the artists involved to meet a range of influential people in the industry that are invited to the opening evening.”

Laura has created eight new pieces for the show as part of a series called Modus Operandi, a continuation of her degree show work in which she drew inspiration from Dutch painter Pieter Mondrian.