Olmo Blanco at the Argyle House

Argyle House, located in the centre of Edinburgh, very close to the castle, was built in 1969. Its striking architecture, belonging to the brutalist style that was in vogue between 1950 and 1970, strongly contrasts with the rest of the area. Its image is highly controversial, and in the past several campaigns called for its demolition. But this petition was rejected on the basis of the building’s historical importance. Three of its floors were eventually ceded to the Forest Centre Plus, a non-profit cultural association established in 2000. These three storeys have been converted into studios for artists, workshops, and the Interview Room 11 gallery.

The Argyle House project is based on interventions by Spanish artists in this building, and pursues two aims: to emphasise the importance of the building in such a particular setting, and to boost the presence of Spanish artists in Scotland. Galician artist Ismael Teira was the first to join this project with an intervention that was supported by AC/E.

This year artist Olmo Blanco will intervene in the building with drawings in everyday settings. His work is based on the idea of the ephemeral, the persistent repetition of simple figures that are converted into a sort of mantra and a memento of our most recent archaeology. For the project for Argyle House, which is supported by AC/E’s Mobility grants, Olmo is carrying out a permanent intervention in different locations in the building.