RSA Research Exhibition

Concealed behind closed doors, down a discreet corridor to the left of the main gallery entrance, this year’s Research show at the Royal Scottish Academy was, from its modest outset, always doomed to disappoint. Showcasing the work of ten artists awarded RSA Residencies in 2007, the single-room exhibition should in theory be brimming with the fruits of inspired labour; unfortunately, it delivers anything but.

There is no denying the immense importance that the such residencies play in the development of new work by local artists; it is imperative that young or emerging artists be given institutional support, time to research and evolve ideas, and a space to publicly exhibit their work. Perhaps we have been too spoilt by the array of quality work on display elsewhere as part of this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival? I could not help but feel that Monet would turn in his grave if only he knew what was being exhibited downstairs. Susan Brind and Jim Harold’s sound installation of intermittent harpsichord notes, Curious Art, for example, pales in comparison to the work of Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller down the road at the Fruitmarket Gallery.

There is some evidence of skill, notably in the woodwork of artist Colin Parker, and certainly some novel ideas, such as Paulina Sandberg’s Hope You are Keeping Well (as wet as grennock) in which postcards sent from St Andrews in the early twentieth century are transformed into a sound installation via text messages read aloud by BT’s computerised voice. Yet for a body of work that had been conceived mostly during residencies to remote or inspirational places, the mood of the exhibition feels remarkably uninspired. [Annika Kristensen]