Two Aberdeen-based contemporary artists have teamed up for a new collaborative gallery and creative workspace called Growing Pains. Gray’s School of Art graduates Caitlin Robb and Ace Ireland are establishing an all-inclusive gallery to develop new artists and hope to expand into other creative areas.
The name Growing Pains represents their struggle of leaving art school and figuring out what comes next. And also the time-consuming nature of the entire process. It’s a recognition of the challenges and pain that often come with finding our way through the world.
The team behind Growing Pains
Ace Ireland, who grew up in Balloch, uses expressive art to evaluate life events that have changed their outlook. They focus on religion, technology, death, and the human condition, pushing the boundaries between what is considered professional and what is considered art. Ace uses poetry, pyrography and sculpture to explore ways to help people process trauma.
Contemporary artist Caitlin Robb is originally from Fife. She uses art to explore the natural world, anatomy, spirituality, and social issues. Her recent work has focused on our relationship with bodies of water. Robb’s practice incorporates drawing, printmaking, analogue photography, ceramics, and poetry. She also believes being intimately involved in her art lets her express ideas and thoughts with clarity.
Lifting up those who often go unheard
The pair’s frustration with galleries that follow tried and tested templates has led them to set up Growing Pains to encourage the exploration of taboo topics that other galleries may avoid. They’re committed to working with people from diverse backgrounds and lifting up those whose voices often go unheard. They believe that hearing from different perspectives helps everyone grow.
Growing Pains seeks to achieve all this within a unique space that moves away from the traditional “white cube” gallery setting. They’re creating a gallery that can add flavour to the artwork displayed. Building a safe space for both artists and visitors.
We’ll keep you up-to-date about this intriguing new gallery, but for now you can follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and sign up for their newsletter.
About POST
Kevin Mitchell and Chris Sansbury founded POST. This was from a desire to cut through the noise to share the great things that happen in Aberdeen. They focus on community, culture and also the interesting people of the city. The local artists, businesses and charities; photographers, musicians and entertainers. These are the people that make a positive impact on our city every day. So they use video, audio, writing and social media to amplify the voices in our community. And to ultimately give a platform to Aberdeen folk to engage and tell their own stories.
Recent work includes coverage of Spectra 2023, interviews with We Are Here Scotland founder Ica Headlam; Paralympic gold medalist, Neil Fachie; Aberdeen rapper Chef and his push for success; an article about the pedestrianisation of Union Street; coverage of Nuart Aberdeen and TEDx Aberdeen, as well as coverage of the campaign to Save the Belmont.