Rita Kermack is a visual artist living and working in Aberdeen. She graduated from Gray’s School of Art in 2021 and the Tatha Gallery selected her work for their 2021 Graduate Show, “Bold Beginnings”. She has shown her work with the Aberdeen Artists Society, the SSA, and the Southwest Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, as well as in galleries in Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Art Fair. Site specific exhibitions include “Sanctuary within a Sanctuary” in the grounds of Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven in 2019, and more recently, the “Experimental Use of Space” pop-up exhibition at Ardo House, Whitecairns, Aberdeenshire.
Artist Statement
I am intrigued by geomorphological processes and the way landscapes change. I am particularly fascinated by the Scottish coastline where we find habitats with highly specialised ecosystems: rock pools, estuaries, cliffs and beaches. My work aims to shine a light on the fragility and transient nature of these places on which environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution and human construction have a detrimental effect.
My projects are based on fieldwork and are often site-specific. I try and immerse myself in the environment taking note of visual information as well as my holistic experiences while being there.
I express my ideas by using experimental methods and materials that allow me to mimic the morphological processes in the landscape for example using malleable copper sheets. By laying the copper on rocks or other textured surfaces found in the location and tapping it with a hammer I am able to emboss it with their structure. Then I douse the copper in a patina bath and leave it outside exposed to the elements until a satisfying patina has built up. The process is slow and for that part out of my control. Later on I have a chance to manipulate the work that nature had an active part in creating.
The collage work is inspired by my memories and holistic experiences made during my fieldwork. The process is one of contemplation, trial and error, involving an almost rhythmic layering and erasing in order to bring the memories to life.
Sharing my creative process with others is part of my art practice. I always hope that people will find different ways of seeing and looking at our environment and forming deeper connections by doing so.