“If only I knew the way”
New work by Leah Moodie at the Pier Arts Centre
21/06/24 - 17/06/24
“The title of the exhibition is inspired by the lyrics of the Grateful Dead song Ripple - ‘…If I knew the way I would take you home’
The uncertainty and insecurity of being far from ‘home’ and seeking the comfort of such a place are at the centre of Leah Moodie’s paintings. As a young Orcadian based in Glasgow. Moodie sees her work as a journey that suggests that a place of belonging is possible, but the route to it is, as yet, undefined and tantalisingly and frustratingly not quite within reach.”
“The paintings present a familiar domestic setting, both in their subject matter and material, but harbour an uneasy and unsettling quality that challenges the viewer to reflect on the sense of absence and the anxiety the lack of reassurance of ‘home’ can bring, and even question that such a place of contentment exists.”
“The self-reflective nature of Moodie’s work, has led her to look both inward and outwardly, and consider the interior in relation to the exterior and expand her idea of ‘home’ to include the wider environment and landscape.”
“The paintings of Sylvia Wishart (1936 - 2008) have provided a focal point for new work, including Leave the light on, evocative of Wishart’s Reflections from the Pier Arts Centre Collection.
A former pupil of Kirkwall Grammar School, Leah Moodie studied at the Edinburgh College of Art. She was an active member of the Centre’s Piergroup and undertook volunteering and work experience at the gallery in her senior school years.”
Text written by the Pier Arts Centre
