Pop Paolozzi!

A series of prints based on the life and work of Edinburgh’s most renowned transnational artist.
Transnationalizing Modern Languages: Mobility, Identity and Translation in Modern Italian Cultures

Tuesday 27 May, 12 – 1.30pm, Arts Lecture Theatre Foyer, University of St. Andrews.

The Proctor, Professor Lorna Milne will formally welcome the pupils from Drummond Community High School, who produced the artwork in the exhibition based on the work of Paolozzi.

Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) is one of the UK’s most outstanding modern artists. Born in Leith, the son of first generation Italian migrants, Paolozzi was interned in 1940 when Italy entered WW2. He later studied art in Edinburgh and London before moving to Paris. He established a reputation on a global scale as sculptor and major figure in the Pop Art movement.

The work that will be on display has been produced by S1 pupils at Drummond Community High School, Edinburgh, very close to where Paolozzi grew up. The pupils researched Paolozzi’s own transnational experience to produce prints expressive of both his Italian-Scots childhood and fascination with the modern, mechanical world. The 8 prints in the exhibition were created by the artists at Edinburgh Printmakers, sponsored by SNIPEF (Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers Association), whose main office is close to the school. The exhibition was curated by Laura Pels Ferra, a practising artist and research administrator in the School of Modern Languages, and a team of Year 2 students at St Andrews. The students took part in the project as part of the University’s Curriculum Enhancement Programme.
The exhibition is the first public event of the AHRC-funded research project exploring Italian culture outside Italy in a transnational frame.