Artist: Philip Braham

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I am a painter and a photographer, and I cross between these disciplines according to the nature of the project at hand. I am interested in the image as a catalyst for memory, and my focus can shift from collective historical memory to intimate reflections of personal significance.

My paintings are carefully developed to look almost photographic in their rendering, because I seek to reduce the egotism of ‘style’ as far as possible. I refuse to allow clever gestures or seductive textures to develop, as they would divert attention from the poetic resonance of the image itself. Perhaps photography has earned a certain authority over painting in terms of a truthful representation of the world, yet the photograph is subjective too; compositional framing, depth of focus, length of exposure etc. are manipulations to bend the image to the will of the artist. When I want to produce images that are specific to a time and place I will work within the discipline of photography, shooting on a manual 6x9cm film camera. When I wish to produce a body of work that is rooted in poetic association I will choose to develop the project as a series of paintings. There is a cross-fertilisation of formal visual language across these discipline boundaries.

CV

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011   “Still”. UNIONgallery, Edinburgh
2006   Osborne Samuel, London
2005   The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
2003   BCA Gallery, London
2000   Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh
2000   BCA Boukamel, London
1999   Compass Gallery, Glasgow
1998   Galleri Christian Dam, Oslo
1997   Boukamel Contemporary Art, London
1995   Raab Boukamel Gallery, London
1994   Galleri Christian Dam, Copenhagen
1994   Raab Boukamel Gallery, London
1993   Compass Gallery, Glasgow
1992   Raab Gallery, London
1989   Raab Gallery, London
1988   The Scottish Gallery
1987   The Glasgow Arts Centre
1985   The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1984   Main Fine Art, Glasgow

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010   “Public Image” Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone College, University of Dundee
2009   “Inspired” The Mitchell Library, Glasgow
          London Contemporary Art Fair and Glasgow Art Fair with Compass Gallery
          “Six Artists at Albany Lane” Albany Lane Gallery, Edinburgh
2008   “Scottish Landscape” The Park Gallery, Falkirk
          Royal Scottish Academy 182nd Exhibition
2007   Royal Scottish Academy 181st Exhibition
2006   Solo presentation at The Glasgow Art Fair, with the Compass Gallery
2005   “The Call of the Sea” Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh
2004   “Pressing Forward” Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop at Crawford Arts Centre, St. Andrews
          Chicago Art Fair, Berkley Square Gallery in association with BCA Gallery, London
          London Contemporary Art Fair, BCA Gallery, London
2003   “40th Anniversary Exhibition” Demarco European Art Foundation, Edinburgh
2002   “Adapt” Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow
          “ArtAid” Bloomberg Space, London
1998   “New European Artists” exhibition and book launch, Sotheby’s, Amsterdam
1998   “Artaid” Vinopolis Gallery, London
1997   “Mountain” Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Museum
1996   “Artaid” City Art Centre, Edinburgh
          “Scotland The Brave”, Forbes Galleries, New York
          “Art and Nature” The Botanic Gardens, Cagliari, Sardinia
1995   “International Kunst” Galleri Christian Dam, Copenhagen, Denmark
1994   “Die Kraft Der Bilder” Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin, Germany
          “Liebe und Poesie”, Galerie Tobias Hirschmann, Frankfurt, Germany
          “Endangered Spaces”, Christies, London
1993   Royal Scottish Academy 169th exhibition, Edinburgh – 1st Prize-winner, Guthrie Award
1992   “The Glory of the Garden” Art Space, London
          “Visions of Albion III” Collyer-Bristow, London
1990   “Visions of Albion- Aspects of British Landscape” Collyer-Bristow, London
          “150th anniversary exhibition,” The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1989   “New Scottish Painting” Galerie Bureaux et Magazins, Ostend, Belgium
          “20th Century Scottish Painting” Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
1988   “Scottish Art:Philip Braham, Martin Kane, Barbara Rae” Midlands Contemporary Art
1989   “CITAC” Sala Parpallo/Deputation Ce Valencia, Spain
          “Il Giocco Dell’Oca” Cagliari, Sardinia
1987   “The Vigorous Imagination” Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh Festival
          “20th Century Scottish Masters” The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
1986   “Double Vision” with Ian Hughes, Main Fine Art, Glasgow
          “The Human Touch” Fischer Fine Art, London
          “Scottish Art Today” Edinburgh International Festival
1985   The Smith Biennial, Stirling
          “Networking” O,Kane Gallery, Houston, Texas
          “Portraits on Paper” Scottish Arts Council touring exhibition

AWARDS
2009   Royal Scottish Academy Morton Award for Lens-based work
2006   Research Award, University of Dundee
2003   Royal Scottish Academy Research Bursary
1994   Guthrie Award, Royal Scottish Academy
1989   Scottish Arts Council Award
1985   Educational Institute of Scotland Award
1981   Elizabeth Greenshields Award
1980   British Council Scholarship

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum
Dundee Art Gallery
Lillie Art Gallery
Demarco Archive, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Sunderland Art Gallery
BBC London
Contemporary Art Society, London
Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
Educational Institute of Scotland
Life Association of Scotland
Fleming’s Bank Collection
Standard Life
The City Art Centre, Edinburgh

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
2000-    Lecturer in Fine Art, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University
1993-94 Part-time lecturer in Painting, Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen
1989     International exchange workshop, Valencia, Spain
            “Il Gioco Dell’Oca” Project with international artists, Sardinia
1981-82 University of California at Los Angeles
              Visiting Artist
1980-81 Royal Academy of Fine Art, The Hague, Holland
            Postgraduate scholarship in painting (Special commendation)
1976-80 Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee.
            DA (Painting)

1959     Born in Glasgow