Creative Dundee

Dundee Icons at Roseangle Cafe

Local artist, Nicola Wiltshire has launched an exhibition – Dundee Icons which explores the decorative beauty, ethereality and meaning of religions, through portraits of people living today. Open now until 29th January at Roseangle Cafe between 10am and 4pm, the exhibition is free to attend and features inspiration from local churches and residents.

Painted on gold, patterned and African fabric, the series combines a unique style of portrait painting with research into religious art, as well as fashion photography, symbology and the repetitive patterns seen in Islamic art.

The paintings are inspired by the beautiful stained glass windows and mosaics found at local churches, as well as the interior of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the many mountainside Orthodox churches on the Greek island of Aegina.

By combining these elements, Dundee Icons becomes a collection of paintings that is both peaceful and dense with meaning.

Nicola said: “The paintings were created for a show in England, but I absolutely love seeing them up at Roseangle. It makes so much sense, especially considering everyone I painted lives here in Dundee. A lot of my research for the halos was also done locally. The mosaics in St Andrew’s Cathedral on Nethergate were particularly inspirational.”

Dundee Icons was initially exhibited for the public opening of Nicola’s MFA degree at University of Dundee in 2015 and the developed project was realised as a solo exhibition at Hartlepool Art Gallery earlier this year.

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