Commonwealth Games peace exhibition gets Edinburgh preview

Thursday 18 April 2002

A Scottish exhibition of work reflecting themes of peace and reconciliation will be opened by the Deputy Minister for Culture, Dr. Elaine Murray, at the Apex International Hotel on Friday 19th April, prior to its transfer to Manchester for the 2002 Commonweath Games. "Beyond Conflict" represents a collaboration between Aid International, the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and the Demarco European Art Foundation as part of the Games' "Spirit of Friendship Festival". Respected former war correspondent, Martin Bell, will launch Aid International's campaign to raise funds for the charity's work in the Balkans, Afghanistan and other countries recovering from war.

"Beyond Conflict" represents the work of 22 professional Scottish artists, later to be joined with 80 selected pieces of work from Scottish Art Colleges and 100 of the best submissions from all Scottish Secondary Schools. This exhibition of 202 new works of art follows the theme of the Commonwealth Games Appeal "200+2". The artists have worked with the National Museums of Scotland to source both Islamic and Christian artefacts as inspiration for their paintings on the theme of peace and reconciliation.

The exhibition will open to the public as part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee events at the Apex International Hotel in Edinburgh's Grassmarket, from 19 April until 10 May 2002 and can be viewed online at www.blinkRed.com, the Edinburgh-based online art gallery Blink Red. The 22 images will also be available to buy from Blink Red as signed limited edition, archive quality, giclée prints in a presentation box. Three sets of these 22 prints will be sent to HM The Queen, Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush. Three further sets of prints will be sold for the benefit of the Commonwealth Games Appeal.