WRONGER WRITES: THE QUING OF THE NOW PEOPLE

KIRSTY WHITEN

OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH

AUGUST 19th 6-9pm

CONTINUES AUGUST 20 - 28th

Scottish artist Kirsty Whiten is publishing a limited edition book of colour plates, accompanied by text and poetry, and works from the book will feature in the show which opens during the Edinburgh Arts Festival 2016 at the Arusha Gallery.

Wronger Rites depicts in detailed lavish colour a set of elaborate rituals performed by characters she calls the Now Peoples, overseen by the spectacular and gender defying priestess, the Quing. Contemporary and disturbing, her work explores the artist’s fascination with rituals from all cultures, drawing inspiration from elements of anthropology, psychology and ancient traditions.

Growing up in a family of scientists, her father was Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at St Andrew’s University and her mother is a lecturer in human anatom. Whiten has spent her life absorbed in the study of human existence, physicality and forms of storytelling. Obsessed with the lines between animals and humans, Whiten started making ‘imagined’ anthropological objects. Images of centaurs and cross-cultural hybrids appeared in her work along with images of boys in hoodies. Everyday people merged into the gods and deities of her present work.

Made up of drawings, watercolours and large scale oil paintings, Wronger Rites illustrates a utopian vision of a society in which gender is universal and key stages of life are celebrated with spectacular and often shocking ceremony. 

The recurring theme of Whiten’s work is that of a world in need of ritual to celebrate freedom and gender. Whiten asks us to celebrate our universal needs and our oneness with our past, present and future. Her work deviates and deconstructs social norms, enabling us to envisage freedom with sexuality and gender. Her work plays with ideals of beauty and adornment and demonstrates a fierce and earthy sexuality in the new androgyny.

Whiten’s work is confrontational but bright, tender and joyful. With skill and detail she invokes ancient religious iconography with her use of animal masks and costume. The balancing, tumbling and dancing figures are reminiscent of the body techniques and tricks of primitive cultures and ancient ceremonies, the roots of which are lost in the deep time of immemorial tradition and practiced in temples, royal courts and more recently the circus acts of the last century.

Kirsty Whiten says “The work attempts to link us to our ancestors and other humans globally, drawing new archetypes from the language of myth and costume. I am challenging the notion of  petite and polite femininity and the way men have been excluded in this culture from being able to adorn themselves. Androgyny now is universal, I celebrate that.”

She continues “I'm striving to make frank images of people, dealing with their psychology and socially constructed behaviour; making the viewer aware of the sexuality, control and neuroses underneath appearance. I aim to discomfort the viewer by presenting a character very directly and intimately.”

The 90 page hard cover art book has been designed by ZAG Books, a young graphic design company in Glasgow, printed by Bell and Bain and has been funded by a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign.

Whiten graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1999 and spent a year in Paris at La Cite Internationale des Arts. Since then she has exhibited regularly in Edinburgh, Glasgow (Recoat Gallery), London (Stolenspace Gallery) and internationally.

• The Quing of the now people The Quing of the now people
• shame stepping strength stepping shame stepping strength stepping
• sheela red sheela red
• sheela blue sheela blue
• sheela yellow sheela yellow
• flatfood fronting flatfood fronting
• flatfoot fronting - the body that chooses flatfoot fronting - the body that chooses
• phearce perturbation phearce perturbation
• half night journey half night journey
• the meat - appetite of the quing the meat - appetite of the quing
• small now peoples day small now peoples day
• small now peoples night small now peoples night
• inhabitants inhabitants
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