Giles Sutherland

Dunbar

Art Critic at The Times

Art Critic with The Times (Scotland). PhD Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Edinburgh Arts

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Articles

Fresh take on Orkney's timeless landscape

Jan 26, 2025 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland
Xisha Angelova: Belarusian Martyrology review

Jan 16, 2025 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland
Seascapes, still-lifes and lots of talent ... but sadly no surprises

Jan 12, 2025 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland
Benno Schotz and A Scots Miscellany review: A stopgap exhibition

Dec 2, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

This mixed exhibition of 12 artists takes nationality as its curatorial premise. All the academicians featured here were born outside Scotland but chose to make the country their home. Unfortunately, as a concept, this feels rather tired, especially given the cosmopolitan nature of today’s international art world. The leading figure is Benno Schotz, and the show is the result of a bequest in 2020.
Richly diverse show is a visitor’s delight - and critic’s nightmare

Nov 22, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

Society of Scottish Artists 126th Annual ExhibitionRoyal Scottish AcademyEdinburgh★★★★Until December 11The Society of Scottish Artists is a venerable institution and a cultural stalwart in Scotland. Traditionally, it has maintained a more rebellious edge than its august counterpart, the Royal Scottish Academy, with which it once again shares premises this year.
Everlyn Nicodemus review - brave artworks burst with joy and wisdom

Oct 22, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

In our rather cynical and manipulated times, enchantment, wonder, joy and sheer unadulterated talent seem rare. Genuine surprise and being swept off one’s feet seldom occur. The name Everlyn Nicodemus, an artist born in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, in 1954, may be unfamiliar to most. However, her work, carried out with determination — and despite a 25-year hiatus — deserves all the accolades mentioned above and more.
Edinburgh Art Festival review - Creativity and politics entwined

Aug 13, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

The Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF) takes place across 30 venues, featuring the work of more than 200 artists from Scotland, the UK, and internationally. This year’s programme is the festival’s largest yet, encouraging audiences to reflect on contemporary social, political, and cultural issues through the lens of art.
Eye to Eye: Sir Henry Raeburn’s Portraits review - deserved celebration of beloved artist

Jul 3, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

As James Holloway, former director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, pointed out in his opening speech of this splendid and impeccably curated show, it is to the great shame of the National Galleries of Scotland that they have failed to mark the bicentenary of the death of one of the nation’s most accomplished painters, Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823). Fortunately, Kirkcudbright Galleries and an independent curator, the indomitable Amanda Herries, have taken up the challenge with aplomb.
Amongst the Trees - our deep bonds with landscapes

Jun 9, 2024 | thetimes.com | Giles Sutherland

As the organisers of this impeccably curated, sensitive and surprising show point out, trees have taken a central place in art-making from the earliest times. They have been a focal point in landscape painting and a source material for sculpture and furniture. Wood is one of the most diverse, beautiful and ubiquitous materials on the planet. Trees and forests are central to our folklore and culture. Without their ability to capture carbon and release oxygen, our planet would be dead.
RSA Annual Exhibition review - You will be moved and inspired

May 12, 2024 | thetimes.co.uk | Giles Sutherland

★★★★☆Jude Barber, architecture curator of the Royal Scottish Academy’s (RSA) major annual show, cites the Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari who implores us to “seize today’s exceptional opportunities for mending present imbalances and stitching the highly damaged tapestry of our planet”. Lari’s Letter to a Young Architect, while directed at a niche audience, has a wider resonance because architecture affects us all.