Amber Roome’s gallery in Cumberland Street opened a few months ago, and since then everyone has been watching with interest as a vibrant programme of exhibitions has unfolded. Amber currently works with nine painters and photographers, and often shows the work of other artists who have caught her attention in her downstairs space (including the likes of Andrew Mackenzie, who was our guest speaker in March).
It is a particular pleasure to visit Amber Roome Contemporary Art for this latest exhibition. Shadows and Tall Trees brings together a new body of work by Alan Kilpatrick that is drawn from his experience of two different cultures. Alan spent part of his early life in India, and continues to be fascinated by the relationship between post-independence India and Scotland. As Amber explains, this show ‘chronicles the fusion of the two cultures by examining the landscape, industries, people and artisan culture of the north east frontier region of Assam where he once lived.’
Alan has been an important painter on the Edinburgh art scene since 1991. He shows internationally, and his works are owned by The Fleming Collection, Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, Turcan Connell, Hans Rausing, The Bonham and further collections in Italy, USA, France, Eire, Australia and Germany. For this exhibition, he has been given the run of the entire gallery and so has been able to explore some new strategies in his work. He is addressing the figure here for the first time, with a number of portraits and also clay and resin figures arranged in two related installations. Alongside these are enigmatic landscapes, which literally ‘use elements from the artisan culture,’ incorporating turmeric, paprika and henna into the painting. Alan is also rather good at telling stories, so I anticipate illumination and entertainment in equal measure.
