RSA Friends Room
AWAITING YOUR INTERPRETATION
#EgoArt
The Royal Scottish Academy presents EGO, an interactive exhibition of self-portraits from the collections, designed to tie in to the 187th RSA Annual Exhibition and its theme: to celebrate works of art that inhabit the gap between perceived and imagined realities. Featuring work which crosses boundaries of tradition, representation and narrative, this exhibition puts interpretation in the control of you, the viewer.
In creating a self-portrait the artist attempts to bridge a number of divides; the divide between the self and the perception of the self, the divide between this perception and its representation and the divide between the representation and the audience.
For whatever the artist's intentions, devices and techniques, how we respond to their work remains entirely up to ourselves, our ego reflecting upon theirs. It is this aspect on which EGO is designed to focus.
We are encouraging you, the audience, to personally engage with the works and come up with your own responses. They could be descriptions or poems, daydreams or hallucinations, stories or doodles.
For inspiration a small selection of works will be interpreted and you will find some surprise interpreters appearing over the course of the show. However it is your responses, mounted next to the works, which will create the exhibition's dynamic and changing personality. The life of EGO isn't just restricted to the exhibition space. Get involved with EgoArt on Facebook and Twitter to generate interpretation, discussion and even post your own self portraits. 'Like' the RSA Facebook page and a link will be posted soon.
Your responses needn't be restricted to the EGO exhibition - tailor made label postcards will be available in the RSA, giving the opportunity for EGO to evolve a mind and story of its own, with a lifespan that extends into new territories, publications and formats.
So get involved and let's enjoy our egos.
The Permanent Collection of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture is a Recognised Collection of National Significance to Scotland.
EGO events: Self-Portrait workshop with George Donald RSA, Sat 3rd August. Click here for information and ticket details
