Louise Gibson: Summer Commission 2025
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop is excited to announce that the artist selected for our Summer Commission 2025 is Louise Gibson. ESW’s Summer Commission highlights the work of artists working with us, reaching an international audience during August. For the 2025 commission, ESW Members were invited to propose ambitious and innovative ideas that would provide audiences with a dynamic and engaging experience of contemporary sculpture.
Gibson’s proposal was selected by a panel of international experts from a very strong field of applications.
Over the next 11 months, she will be supported by the ESW staff team. She will have full access to ESW’s specialist facilities, along with a generous production budget to bring her project to life.
Originating from Scotland, Gibson graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art in 2009 and relocated her studio to Berlin in 2012, where she worked until the end of 2017. She is currently based at the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and splits her time between Edinburgh and Glasgow, focusing on large-scale public and private commissions, as well as independent exhibitions.
For 11 years, Gibson was sponsored by global resin manufacturers Polynt Composites and has been represented by The Albemarle Gallery in London and Beans Gallery in Berlin. Her work over the past seven years has focused on an innovative research project exploring the colour spectrums created through acceleration in industrial resins, applying these findings in her art. She is now collaborating with ASCUS Art and Science at Summerhall in Edinburgh to develop new bio-based, sustainable resins that are yet to be released commercially.
Gibson’s practice primarily involves combining resins with recycled fabrics, employing various techniques such as casting sculptures at marble factories, moulding metals using metal recycling machinery, and finishing her pieces with lacquer at local car garages. Gibson’s practice has been and continues to be supported by production pioneers such as DURA, BASF and NOURYON.
You can see more of her work here
Image Credits
Top
Naked Truths, Found mattress foam, steel baths, Steel, resin, lacquer, Louise Gibson, 2018.
Image credit Erika Stevenson.
Above
Ballerina, Found fabric, radiator, resin, lacquer, Louise Gibson 2016.
Image credit Martin Peterdamm
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all the artists who submitted proposals in response to our open call to ESW Members. The review process was incredibly inspiring, and the quality of ideas and work presented was truly exceptional. The range of approaches and diverse backgrounds reflected in the applications highlights the rich diversity of the ESW Membership, and we sincerely appreciate the interest shown in this opportunity.
We would also like to express our thanks to the selection panel:
- Ashanti Harris, who has completed residencies at ESW and presented the 2022 summer commission;
- Kenny Hunter, artist and lecturer, who presented the 2016 summer commission; and
- Pablo Caligaris, Director of La Ira de Dios, an independent non-profit institution in Buenos Aires, Argentina – a past residency partner with ESW.
Each of these panelists brought a high level of care and consideration to the selection process, and we are truly grateful for their time and expertise in making these important decisions.
