Four years of Hope

Curated by Argyll Hope Spot , the exhibition will look back on four years of the Argyll Hope Spot’s Snorkelling Artist Residency – an annual initiative that brings a range of audiences closer to the incredible world hidden beneath the surface of Argyll’s waters.

Since 2021, a total of 37 artists, communicators, architects, and composers have participated as residents or tutors across five residencies so far, working on the shore and in the water - even sketching whilst snorkelling.

Their work brings to life scenes that we don’t normally see, and that are not often represented through art. The diversity of participants means that the work ranges hugely in medium and feeling.

Drawings, paintings, sculpture, sound works and animations make space for a wider range of people to feel a deeper connection to life underwater in the seas of Argyll and beyond.

This exhibition will show work from both local and international artists, and asks the question: what happens after the residency are particularly interested in work that relates to the idea of artists as change-makers.

The work will all be marine related. The Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot is a community-led celebration of this part of Scotland’s world-class natural riches. It is the first Hope Spot in mainland UK. Hope Spots are special places, vital for the ocean’s health, linked by the international organisation Mission Blue. This
growing global network also includes the Galapagos Islands and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Collectively, Hope Spots are creating a global wave of community support for ocean conservation that policymakers cannot ignore. The Argyll Coast & Islands Hope Spot stretches
from Ardnamurchan to Loch Sween including four Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Special
Areas of Conservation, National Scenic Areas and National Nature Reserves.

The show will run from March 8 to April 21.