The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Exhibits cast crude light on oil in the arts
Anew art exhibition puts crude oil under the spotlight. Focusing on Aberdeen, self-proclaimed ‘‘oil capital of Europe”, the exhibition drills down into aspects of oil narratives and examines how oil has influenced political, social and economic life.
It is curated by Rachel Grant, a Gray’s School of Art graduate, who started working on the exhibition, Crude, after securing Creative Scotland funding through her curatorial platform Fertile Ground.
The show is on display in the school’s creative unit, Look Again Project Space, on St Andrews Street. This is the first full exhibition in the gallery since the Covid outbreak began.
Rachel said: “Crude is an exciting exhibition that explores our complex relationship with crude oil.
“Those who visit will enjoy a set of newly commissioned work that challenges the common perception that oil was a wealth creator.
“The exhibition features work from artists Ashanti Harris and Alison Scott and writer Shane Strachan. It explores aspects of these relationships and examines the influence of North Sea oil and its impact on the social fabric of the UK and Scotland since its discovery in the 1970s, to more recent explorations for oil in Guyana.”
Aberdeen was twinned with Guyana’s capital Georgetown in 2019. Multidisciplinary artist and researcher Ashanti Harris explores this complex relationship, while Shane Strachan focuses on contradictions surrounding Aberdeen’s dependency on the oil industry.
As part of the exhibition, a selection of texts will be on display from local publications including editions of Blow Out – a magazine produced by and for north-east oil workers.
Oil over Troubled Water, A Report and Critique of Oil Developments in North East Scotland, published by Aberdeen People’s Press, will also feature.
The project is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland’s Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Development and Look Again.
The exhibition runs until September 12.