Statement
Cal Mac graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2020, where he studied Sculpture. In 2018, he was selected for an exchange semester in Halifax, Canada. Here, he was able to reflect on the systemic role of everyday addiction in Scotland from a distance, as a culturally invisible taboo, yet socially dependent norm. Since doing this exchange, his research has spanned from macro psychological and political movements advocating for compassionate care in severe addiction, to micro neurological research on its similarities to love.
Working mainly in sculpture and video, his practice focusses on giving this urgent conversation on addiction an emotionally visible life. This is most often looked at through the consequential effects of addiction on mental health and interpersonal relationships. These themes are highlighted through contrast, by placing them amongst the therapeutic imagery of water and gentle intimacy, which are proposed as liberations from addiction.
As of late, his video works have been made from the raw material of his personal iPhone archives, which are embodied in the addictive format of the 9:16 portrait screen. In this sense, honesty is prioritised in the production of his works, where addiction is present within the real memories he selects, the flashing pace of the works and the materials he uses. His work has been featured in Art Mag UK and the Glasgow Guardian, and has been shown in Limerick, Ireland. In 2020, he won the Film and Video Umbrella ‘Beyond Moving Image’ commission.
Email:
Instagram: @calmac__studio
CV
Awards & Grants
2020 - FUV beyond moving image commission
Education
2016 - 2020 Edinburgh College of Art, Sculpture, BA
2019 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Exchange Semester
2015 - 2016 Strathclyde University, Partial Completion of BSc in Chemistry
Upcoming Exhibitions
2020 - Agony to Ecstasy, Solo Exhibition, St. Margarets House, Edinburgh (October)
Past Exhibitions
2020 - Field Test, Silvermine Mountains, Ireland
2020 - Dinner Party (a collaboration), Edinburgh College of Art
2020 - Sober Dinner Party, Solo Exhibition, Edinburgh College of Art
2020 - Space Invaders: ECA X RCA Exchange, Edinburgh College of Art
2020 - Buffering, Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art
2020 - It's a mess from the Barnes to the Civic House, Glasgow School of Art
2019 - RCA x ECA sculpture exchange, Royal College of Art
2019 - Guns on the Run, Edinburgh College of Art
2019 - Pancake Dinner Party, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
2019 - Sculpture Showcase, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
2018 - Hings and Bits, The Rumshack, Glasgow
2018 - Material Dialogue, Museum of Fire, Edinburgh College of Art
2018 - Help Yourself (dinner party), Solo Exhibition
Edinburgh College of Art
Curatorial Work
2020 - Sculpture Party, Edinburgh College of Art
2018 - Hings and Bits, The Rumshack, Glasgow
2018 - Body Language, Museum of Fire, Edinburgh College of Art
Publications
2020 - 'Five Extraordinary Creatives Making their Mark on the Scottish Art Scene', Canvas Magazine
2019 - 'Eleven Edinburgh Artists you need to know about' MUSE magazine
2018 - PREVIEW: Hings N Bits at The Rum Shak, The Glasgow Guardian