Exhibition – Response

by Amanda Hirst

 ‘Response’  Into The Light

Aberdeen Artists Society is delighted to be working with Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums again and this time, to invite its members to create new work to be exhibited in response to pieces already within Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums’ collection.

In 2023 we provided insight into our spaces within ‘Where Ideas are Born’, the Magnum Photographic exhibition of artists’ studios. In 2024/25’s ‘Process, Process, Process’ exhibition, we shared knowledge of our development methods and showed tools and materials that we use.

This new opportunity continues the artistic development and explores each artist’s response to the original works and the diversity of those interpretations from the same start point. Responses can include any media except for live performance (recordings are permitted), no electrically or battery-operated installations.

The chosen works will be on display in Aberdeen Art Gallery from 24^th January to 24^th May 2026.

To enter, please provide your name and preferred email address to Aberdeen Artists Society at the address below – do not email artwork. You will be provided with a checklist and Dropbox location. Any emailed entries will be returned and excluded unless re-submitted in the correct manner.

Please email: admin@aberdeenartistssociety.co.uk

Exhibition parameters and practical requirements:

• Artists are invited to respond through diverse media, including sculpture, paint, print, film. See exceptions above.
• Overall max dimensions of submission are, 900mm wide, 2000mm high and 400mm deep.
• Wall mounted work must not protrude more than 400mm and must be able to stand or be secured. It may be housed within a case – see below
• Work required to be within a case must fit within the Internal dimensions of flat top case, which are: 1000mm wide, 400mm deep, 250mm high.
• Installation fixings must be sourced and provided by artists. Aside from standard picture hanging fixing which will be provided by AAGM.
• Artist must provide text about the nature of their response to Rand’s original work. (100 words)
• Artist must provide a short biography. (60 words)

Key Dates

Open Call to members

• Wednesday September 1^st – 17.00 12^th December 2025 pm

 Longlist Selection:

• 15^th December 2025
• To be carried out by ASS Selectors

Shortlist selection of works:

• 17^th December 2025
• To be carried out by Aberdeen Art Gallery & AAS Selectors

Exhibition Open:

• 24^th January 2026

Exhibition Close:

• 24^th May 2026

Collection of works:

• 25^th May 2026
• Collection of works

Insight

Keith Rand RSA (1956 – 2013) was a British sculptor who worked primarily in wood. Rand was born in Rinteln, Germany and was a boarder at Woodroffe School in Dorset by the age of 13. He later trained as a cartographic surveyor before enrolling at Winchester School of Art. The artist went on to work part-time as a technician at Scottish Sculpture Workshop and held a teaching position a Gray’s School of Art before moving back down south.

Into the Light was a 2011 exhibition in Winchester Cathedral. Exhibiting works in a non-gallery setting was quite usual for Rand and Into the Light proved to be very successful. His work showed a maturity in both his techniques of steaming and bending wood, as well as his style with coloured interiors to his sculptures. Rand considered the total sculpture as an entity, and the inner faces of his sculptures were as important to the overall feel of the piece as its outer faces, the benefits which can be seen in the two featured works from the collection, Into the Light, Blue and Into the Light, Crimson, pictured here. The works will feature in the exhibition.

AAS artists will be able to view works in person at Aberdeen Treasure Hub

• Saturday 13^th September 2025
• 10am – 12pm
• Will include a short briefing from AAGM curator introducing Keith Rand and the works.

Link to the RSA website where you can see Keith Rand’s sketchbook and other work

• https://artuk.org/discover/stories/keith-rand-extending-sculptural-possibilities
• https://www.royalscottishacademy.org/publications/6-keith-rand-sketchbook-into-the-light/

Elements Exhibition

by Amanda Hirst

NOW OPEN! At Milton Art Gallery, Banchory. AB31 5QH

Sandra Johnston – Inverarnan II