The Enlightenments

Article by Rosamund West | 22 Jul 2009

Weaving its way through the city from the Georgian Library of Talbot Rice, through the Collective gallery and on to the Dean is The Enlightenments, an exhibition exploring the theme of (you’ve guessed it) Enlightenment. Australian curator Juliana Engberg has brought together a host of international artists to present works that deal in enlightenments ranging from the sublime (Susan Norrie’s video work Shot, following a Japanese ecological research satellite) to the mundane (Tacita Dean’s Presentation Sisters, a video documenting the daily lives of an order of Irish nuns). In between lie comedy of errors-style stories transmitted via Bluetooth, courtesy of Juan Cruz; a vast panoramic drawing of Edinburgh histories, stories and architecture by Australian Greg Creek; and a daily choral performance of news-inspired songs on the portico of the Dean, Gabrielle de Vietri’s Hark! In Talbot Rice, conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth has explored the historical associations of a library in which Charles Darwin mulled over The Origin of the Species, while in the upstairs galleries of the Dean Lee Mingwei, Joshua Mosley and Nathan Coley have a room each to present bespoke works.

The portfolio of exhibits interacts with the themes of the International Festival, and with Edinburgh itself, a city inextricably linked both architecturally and historically with the Enlightenment of the 18th Century. It is a city and a philosophy grounded in the past, yet Engberg has sought to broaden the scope beyond the Age of Reason, to introduce contemporary issues and international thinking. She says, “The enlightenments that I’m gathering have multiple destinations: some of them are spiritual; some of them philosophical; some of them are technological; some of them superstitious.“ The artists themselves look set to present work that is both witty and innovative, carefully avoiding the pitfalls of the annual blockbuster exhibition to create something fresh, entertaining and thought-provoking.[Rosamund West]

7 Aug - 27 Sep, various venues. Free.

http://www.eif.co.uk/series/enlightenments