WHAT’S THE STORY?

PEOPLE across Scotland and beyond are being asked to submit stories, portraits and ideas about the future as part of a new display at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. They will be shown alongside five striking examples of portraiture from the national collection in a display entitled You Are Here 2020: Stories, Portraits, Visions.

This display will explore the issues Scotland faces in 2020 by providing a platform for people to reflect on a year,which has seen the most unprecedented times in generations. It’s a genuine offer by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), and one they hope many people will take seriously enough to enter.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

PEOPLE can respond to one or more of the three categories: stories, portraits and visions. The first, 2020 Stories, is looking for a story about this year in 100 words or less which could be positive or negative, prose or poetry.

The second, 2020 Portraits, is a portrait that encapsulates something about this year. From the joyful to the tragic and everything in between; lockdown hair and extra time with family, social distancing to social isolation, PPE-clad shopping trips to food bank deliveries.

Lastly, 2020 Visions is asking for people’s thoughts on the future; what are the good things to come out of this year? What lessons have been learned looking forward?

COULD WE GET SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT NGS IS LOOKING FOR?

NGS has the entire national art collections to call on, and they have chosen several artworks which the public submissions will sit alongside.

The artworks were selected for their contemporary relevance. They speak of the health service, powerful cultural icons and under-represented demographics. The five works are: two bronze busts of influential women – Scots Makar (the national poet for Scotland) Jackie Kay and the pioneering Dr Elsie Inglis; a photograph and display of work prints by Iain Stewart from his series, Tender, for which he shadowed two Edinburgh GPs; Man Up, a video work featuring Mercury Prize-winning Edinburgh band Young Fathers; and a portrait of singer-songwriter Emeli Sande, painted by Samira Addo, winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2018.

WHAT DOES NGS SAY?

IT really is issuing a challenge to Scots to say what Scotland 2020 has meant, is meaning now, and will mean in the future.

Learning and engagement outreach officer Richie Cumming who devised this display, said: “We are asking the questions, ‘How are you doing? How has your year been?’ We want this installation to be a broad representation of 2020 and hope people will be inspired to participate and share this call to action with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

“The combined results will act as a portrait of the nation, offering the opportunity for work from members of the public to be displayed alongside portraits of these exceptional people from the national collection and give brief insights into the range of experiences people have had over this bizarre and troubling year.”

HOW DO WE ENTER AND WHAT ARE THE RULES?

MEMBERS of the public can upload their submissions via the National Galleries of Scotland website and the project is open to all.

As the project is based on 2020, works must have been created this year and should respond to the themes of stories, portraits, visions. The works to be displayed will be reviewed by a panel consisting of Learning and Engagement and Collection and Research staff from NGS. Each submission will be considered under the criteria of: creativity, originality, geographic spread and uniqueness of the submission.

The display will feature a selection of submissions and these will change on a rotational basis. The majority of all submissions will be displayed on the exhibition feature pages on the NGS website. Submissions are open until the end of the year.

WHEN WILL WE SEE THE FIRST DISPLAY?

WE don’t have a date for that yet, but suffice to say the display will open when the Scottish National Portrait Gallery re-opens – the date for that is yet to be announced.

The Portrait Gallery is the often unsung jewel in the NGS crown, first opened to the public in 1889 as the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery. Over the past century, its collection of portraits has grown to become one of the largest and finest in the world, comprising 3000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings. The Gallery tells the story of Scotland through the people who have shaped its history – past and present, famous or forgotten.

SO COME ON, MARTIN, WHAT’S YOUR 2020 VISION IN 100 WORDS?

Independence for Scotland ASAP, obviously. In 2020 we must realise that working together and sharing resources is the natural condition of humanity. We must tackle the causes of climate change and inequality.

The best way to achieve this is to change corporate laws worldwide. Every country in the United Nations must pass new laws stating that companies’ principal duties will be to their communities, not their shareholders.

Full taxes must be paid timeously and in the appropriate places. No exploitation of workers on pain of criminal action, profits to be shared equally by all employees, and no pollution allowed at all.

NGS can have that for starters ...