Introduction

Barry McGlashan RSA (Elect), Dear Friend, Now In The Dusty Clockless Hours

The Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture extends a very warm welcome to you for this, the 199th RSA Annual Exhibition. One hundred and ninety-nine is an auspicious number and is loaded with potential. It sits upon the cusp of change with everything to look forward to. An ever-increasing number also suggests an on-going repeat of exhibitions in a similar vein but this supposition can be wildly deceptive. Each of the Annual Exhibitions may have a recurring ethos but they all differ from their predecessors in exciting ways.

The mainstay of the Annual Exhibition would be the studio works which have come directly from our Academicians. However, there are not-so-subtle differences. Members send in newly completed works each year; new Academicians will exhibit for the first time since their election; and there are those who are absent for whatever reason. The Open submission element welcomes artists and architects from Scotland and further afield and brings a range of media and ideas to the fore. The frisson of excitement of first-time and seasoned exhibitors alike, enables us to view the works which are being made in studios across the nation and beyond.

The exhibition traditionally follows our annual flagship graduate exhibition, RSA New Contemporaries, and it is wonderful to see the trajectory of the previous New Contemporaries alumni establishing their practice and submitting works to the Annual Exhibition.
Rab Bennetts RSA - Bennentts Associates, Edinburgh Futures Institute

This year’s exhibition has been expertly led by Art Convenor, Lennox Dunbar RSA, and Architecture Convenor, Robin Webster RSA. The presentation has been entirely drawn from the Academicians’ studios and the open submission call. There are no invited exhibitors but rather a broad selection of fresh and exciting works which showcase Scottish practice now. The works selected here by Lennox, Robin and their teams are testament to the expansive range of practice happening now.

The show also includes memorial works from Prof. Ian Howard RSA, a greatly admired artist and former Treasurer of the Academy, and from architect, Andrew Merrylees RSA, who also gave generously of his time to support the Academy on committees and selection panels. We are indebted to both of these Academicians and thank their families for the support in showing them here in this exhibition. We were also sad to lose Honorary Academicians over this past year. Alastair Salvesen HRSA, who supported artists through his Travel Scholarship with the Academy, and Lord Cameron of Lochbroom.

We are very pleased to have wider support for this exhibition from LGT Wealth Management, Culture & Business Scotland Fund and Bonhams. Without their assistance, this vast show, with its short run, would be an even more considerable task. Joining our raft of prizes for exhibitors, we welcome new prize awards from June Carey – the RSA June Carey Scottish Etching Award, in collaboration with Glasgow Print Studio.
Alice Wilson, Abstract 46 (detail)

The RSA has a broad scope of activities. Most visitors will be aware of our programme of gallery-based exhibitions. Some will be aware that we represent artists commercially in order to assist them with an income from their practice. Works can be purchased and hired from us to enhance homes and offices. The proceeds of these sales go to the artists and also assist to underwrite the Academy’s work in promoting Scottish art and architecture.

As supporters of Scotland’s visual art and architecture sector, we disburse on average annually over £480,000 to practitioners to make new research, complete projects and underwrite opportunities, as well as through artwork sales. Our Collections are Recognised as Nationally Significant by the Scottish Government. Our Art Consultancy works with businesses across Scotland to further assist the visibility and enjoyment of contemporary Scottish art in the workplace, hospitality and healthcare. Our team at Tonic Arts assist in the management of the art collections at forty two NHS healthcare sites across Edinburgh and the Lothians. We do this all as a self-financing, independent arts charity – without funding from local or national government. Our Academicians and staff teams are creative people with acute business sense and an understanding for how creative practice can make a difference.
Caroline Walker RSA (Elect), Study for Sticker Dolly Dressing

However, we don’t do this in complete isolation. Our Friends and Patrons enjoy a range of activities, visits and cultural breaks which assists us to spread the message about contemporary practice and supports our work across Scotland. Our network of partners in city and rural locations assist us to deliver research and presentation support and these venues, important in their own right, are pivotal in enabling new art to be explored, made and shown.

Our range is indeed huge but our ethos is simple – promote Scottish contemporary art and architecture and enable its enjoyment for all. I hope that you enjoy your visit to the 199th Annual Exhibition and we look forward to seeing you again in 2026 for our the big RSA200 celebrations. Watch this space….