‘Silent Assembly’ is a joint exhibition of Kelly Zou and Kirsty Bell at a mid-point of their Residency at Leith School of Art. Should we credit funder here?

They are both in the process of exploration and developing their artistic practices. The common thread between them is their approach to making; they each work by assembling various fragments—whether conceptual, material, or visual—to build cohesive images.

Artists Statement Kirsty Bell

Kirsty Bell’s work strives for a proximity but never quite reaches an ultimate conclusion. Her work seeks to generate elusive, shape-shifting images. She blends digital techniques and found components that have been gathered from the environment surrounding her to make a maquette, this allows her to form imagery that veers and oscillates between fictitious and real. She collaborates with digital tools to assemble and generate imagery that is collaged and manipulated to bring about an image that has a nearness. Using these generated images, along with the trompe l'oeil painting technique, she can breach a barrier between the painting and the spectator, stretching the plane of reality and denying straightforward interpretation. Gathering generated images contributes to the slippyness Bell finds in her work using something that only exists from fragments of online shrapnel, something that isn't entirely there but has components of what is. Bell sees painting akin to theatre, where paint's ability to mimic allows it to serve as a canvas for projection as well as the role of the subject within the painting to act as a host or performer. She explores how paintings can simultaneously observe the external world in front of them and become the object of observation themselves.

Artists Statement Kelly Zou

Kelly Zou’s artistic journey is a continuous exploration of the intersection between Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Born in China and having worked in the IT industry for years before relocating to Scotland, her work reflects both her external explorations and internal contemplations. This duality is manifest in her current practice, which involves onsite observational drawings that capture the essence of her surroundings and experiences. These initial sketches serve as the foundation for a deeper exploration, where she arranges them on the wall to composite, reimagine, and consolidate her experiences into a cohesive personal response.

In her studio, Kelly engages in a dynamic dialogue with her sketchbooks, adding and removing elements as she goes. This process is guided by the flow of memory, imagination, and emotions, allowing her to create works that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. As a painter, printmaker, and illustrator, her practice also incorporates a narrative element, weaving stories into her visual explorations. Through her art, she aims to bridge cultural divides, offering viewers a glimpse into a world where diverse traditions coexist and enrich one another. Her work stands as a testament to the transformative power of art in connecting disparate worlds and fostering understanding.