Hello,
This site is a portfolio of my curatorial practice, producing and writing.
I am an experienced curator, researcher, producer, writer and lecturer based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
My ongoing research, practice and work engages with and explores ideas, narratives, observations, experiences and connections to be made from art, design, nature, history, context and culture, through projects in curatorial practice, producing and creative nonfiction/fiction/contextual writing.
Background summary
Iain was born in Edinburgh (1961).
He graduated in 1984 with a BA (Hons) Design (Product Design) First Class Degree from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee. From 1985 to 1988, Iain was a practising designer and worked in a cross-media partnership with artist Judith Findlay. They exhibited their projects at Diorama Gallery, London, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Seagate Gallery, Dundee.
Through the late-1980s and 1990s, Iain developed direct skills and experience in gallery and technical management, curating, organising and collaboration, from working with a range of exhibition venues and projects in Scotland such as The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts), Glasgow, Aberdeen Art Gallery, An Tuireann Arts Centre, Portree, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh and Lux Europae, Edinburgh.
From 1996 to 1997, he curated and organised Iain Irving projects – an independent art space in his house and garden in Aberdeenshire, showing projects by artists, including Angus Hood, Sandy Grant, Dalziel + Scullion, Eva Rothschild and Ross Sinclair.
Iain was a full-time Lecturer at Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen from 1999 to 2016. During this time he was Subject Leader and Lecturer for the MFA/MDes, and latterly Course Leader and Lecturer for the MFA/MDes Contextualised Practice. He also taught in Contextual and Critical Studies and on the Design for Industry course for the Undergraduate programme. In addition, he coordinated the regular Guests @ Gray’s lecture programme for the School.
He curated The Blue Chamber exhibition at Duff House, Banff, Aberdeenshire (2000) and co-curated with Lorraine Grant, Oak Trees and Fountains: a season of site specific work at Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire (2004).
In 2013, he gained an MPhil Research Degree from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen for a programme of work entitled, Curating as Practice and Profession: An Exploration and Definition of a Contemporary Independent Curator.
He was a board member of Deveron Projects, Huntly, Aberdeenshire from 2006 to 2019 and a Coordinator (Eastern Scotland / part-time) for the Art UK Sculpture Project from 2017 to 2019.
Since 2017, Iain has been a self-employed Independent Curator, Producer and Writer, and has worked with photographer Martin Parr, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Lux Scotland, Beautiful Materials, Art UK and Art Fund’s Art Quarterly magazine.
Iain Irving 