Guyan Porter is an artist working in sculpture, painting and multi media installations. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1971, he set up his first studio in Glasgow in 1994, organising events that combined performance, sound and visual art. Now based in Sussex, England and Normandie, France, his work has been shown in Belgium, England, France, Italy, Northern Ireland, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
His practice incorporates traditional processes with architectural intervention, political dialogue and durational events. His work fuses recurring motifs and aesthetics, exploring how perceptions of the material world manifest in the images, structures and actions that we create. Mixing artforms with processes of political engagement, his work connects with methodologies of conceptual and installation art. His installations have created immersive environments, exploring ways that concepts and belief systems can be instilled in us, affecting our most basic understanding of reality.
His work has won awards and has been commissioned internationally by high profile organisations. Showing work in non arts spaces he has also worked with institutions such as Tate Modern, The Hunterian Museum and The Royal Academy of the Arts.
Selected Projects
2024
The New Immortals – New Exhibition, Sussex University, Falmer, Brighton, England.
2023
Untitled (Daily Report) __/__/____ – Year long durational performance. Saint Michel, France.
2022
Performing Fluxus – Fringe Arts Bath. Curated by Rachel Cohen. Walcot Chapel, Bath, England.
Tide Wave Radio – International Radio station for the dissemination of contemporary music and sound art that crosses genres and territories. Funded by ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND.
2021
Full project funding from ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND for the production of a series of public art projects across the South East of England.
Tide Wave Radio – International Radio station for the dissemination of contemporary music and sound art that crosses genres and territories. Funded by ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND.
Tide Light Wave – Large scale light installation across the length of Tide Mills bay, East Sussex, England.
Full Frontal – public photographic project, Eastbourne. In partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council and Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne.
Tide Mills – Public Art Projects, Tide Mills, East Sussex, England. As part of LYT Tide Mills Heritage Project.
2020
Awarded full DYCP funding from ACE, ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND; to research and explore perceptions of environment through architectural space.
Art In Quarantine – A response to Covid-19, International Online Art Exhibition, Madrid, Spain.
2019
Thinking The Mountain – Exhibition, Public Artworks and Conference, Pozalagua and Bilbao, Spain.
Water Painting – Group Show, Longyear Gallery, New York, United States.
2018
The Missing – Light installation, The Lewes Light Festival, Lewes Castle, Lewes, England.
Devonshire Collective – Group Exhibition, DC3, Eastbourne, England.
2017
The Immortality Gene – Multi media installation, The Lewes Light Festival, Lewes House, Lewes, England.
2016
The New Immortals – Curated by Judith Alder. 20th February – 20th March. Phoenix Gallery, Brighton, England.
Exploring Immortality: Science, Art and Humanities in Conversation. 7 March. Phoenix Brighton and Brighton & Sussex Medical School, England.
2015
You’re A Winner at the Towner Museum – East Sussex Open, 11th July – 20th September. Eastbourne, England.
2014
Future Dreaming – multi media project centred around a series of new contemporary art exhibitions and events in the South East of England.
Funding from ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND.
2013
Open Cube – Curated by Adriano Pedrosa. Shortlisted for Installation at the WHITE CUBE Gallery, Mason’s Yard, London, England.
Funding Award – ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND – for a series of installations, events and dialogues in venues across the South East of England.
2012
About Ten Seconds – Public Art Project, The Edible Construction Company. Twenty five text based works questioning rationalities behind the Olympic games, across twenty five outdoor locations in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. The project opened on the opening day of the 2012 London Olympics.
2011
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Information System Environment. Multi Media project with Will Foster. Curated by Basak Senova. Akbank, Istanbul, Turkey.
2010
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Information System Environment. Multi Media project with Will Foster. CCA – Glasgow International Festival, Scotland.
2009
The Democracy Project. Web, text, talks and events on the nature of democracy.
Art and Politics. Talk on Protest and Political Engagement at Chelsea School of Art and Design, London, England.
Arts Futures : Creative Scotland? Culture Policy event with Leigh French at Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland.
2008
Protest Songs – Collaboration with Will Foster. Series of sixteen public art performances at Barselgrad, Fykse, Norway.
Joint founder member of The Global Collective – International Arts Group, London, England.
The Environmental Art Project, Callendar Park, Falkirk, Scotland. Artist and Curator. Commissioned by UZ Event.
Invited Charter Member for Culturehall Contemporary Art, Canada.
2007
In Focus – Contemporary Art Projects relating to the Middle East. Tate Modern, London, England.
Rice Pavilion – Collaborative Public Art Project with Chris Biddlecombe and Emilia Telese. Jubilee Library, Brighton, England.
Director of NVA – International Landscape and Public Art Organisation, Glasgow, Scotland.
The Environmental Art Project – Artist and Curator. Commissioned by UZ Events. Callendar Park, Falkirk, Scotland.
Collaborative Public Art Residency, sponsored by HARF – Dodanduwa Creation Centre, Sri Lanka.
A Wall between Scotland and England – Collaborative Public Art Project, Glasgow and Brighton, England.
2006
A Healing Passion – One Hundred Years of Bio Medicine. Hunterian Museum, Glasgow University, Scotland.
The Edible Construction Company – Founder member with Chris Biddlecombe and Emilia Telese.
Stake – Performance Installation with Emilia Telese, FreeShout Festival, Prato, Italy.
Gender Bender, Cabin Exchange, Pink Public Art Project, Glasgow, Scotland.
The British Art Show – Another Product, Group show at Cornerhouse, Manchester, England.
2005
States of Union? Catalyst Arts, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Artists Networks Coordinator – Scotland – for a-n’s Networking Artists Network Initiative.
Generator – Group show, Dundee, Scotland.
Networking Artists Exchange trip – Funded by AN. Berlin, Germany.
G8A – a dvd and screening of artists response to the G8 summit, curated by Su Grierson.
2004
Event – Artist, curator, co ordinator for multi media performance installation event at Wasps HQ, (Workshop and Artists Studio Provision Scotland), Glasgow, Scotland.
Painful Creatures – Performance and Installation – Falkirk, Scotland, Bradford, Brighton, London, England, Sotteville, France, Graz, Austria.
Guest speaker and organiser for Art Futures conference, CCA, Glasgow, Scotland.
2003
Sculpture Installation for Painful Creatures, with Mischief la Bas, Performance Art Festival Commissioned by In Situ, European Art Foundation, Falkirk, Scotland.
Scottish Arts Council Audit Advisory Committee.
Sculpture Installation with Apex Hotels, Dundee Waterfront, Dundee, Scotland.
2002
Call for Entry – Market Gallery Glasgow, Scotland.
Scottish Arts Council Audit Advisory Committee.
Look Look 2002 – International Art Project.
Represented by Blink Red gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sci – Art – Internet Gallery, London, England.
Digital and sculpture workshops with Fast Forward Play and Knowes Housing Co-op, Glasgow, Scotland.
2001
Elected First President of the Scottish Artists Union.
Art for Europe – Scotland House, Brussels, Belgium.
Curator for VAULT 2001, Multi-Media Arts Event, The Arches, Glasgow, Scotland.
Public Hanging at the Briggait – Group Exhibition, Glasgow, Scotland.
Invited Artist for the Royal Glasgow Institute Exhibition, Glasgow, Scotland.
2000
Chairman of The Glasgow Visual Arts Forum, Glasgow, Scotland.
Reggio Emilia workshops, The Lighthouse, The Burrel Collection, Glasgow, Scotland.
Events Organizer and Speaker for Scottish Artists Union, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland..
Community Workshops with Lochfield Park Co-op, Easterhouse, Glasgow, Scotland.
1999
Curator and Artist at VAULT, Multi-Media Arts Event, The Arches, Glasgow, Scotland.
Art for Kosovo Auction, artists and organiser, Nairns Restaurant, Glasgow, Scotland.
Guest speaker at Sofa: Professional Practice Conference, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland.
Member of Monitoring Committee for redevelopment of W.A.S.P.S. Main Building, Glasgow, Scotland.
1998
Selected to participate in International Exchange with Artists from Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Includes hosting Russian artists in Glasgow and residency in Rostov.
Funded by Glasgow City Council and W.a.s.p.s. (Workshop and Artists Studio Provision Scotland).
Artists in Arms: Selected to produce work for Land Mines Project, Organised by the British Red Cross. Royal Geographic Society, London, England, Graffiti Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland.
1997
Source – sculpture installation, Intermedia Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland.
P.E.C.A. – sculpture / philosophy workshop with Langbank Primary, Sculpture Works, Glasgow, Scotland.
Technical Consultant for Four Corners Sculpture Project, Manchester.
Work selected for Voices; Anthology of contemporary poetry.
1996
Aesthetics Coordinator at E.P.I.C. Glasgow University, for P.E.C.A. Philosophy and European Contemporary Art.
Origins – Sculpture Installation, the Italian Centre courtyard, Glasgow, Scotland.
1995
Initiation of Source: Glasgow based visual art group.
1994
Sculpture Works: Opening of sculpture workshop for the production of site-specific and gallery based work. 77 Hanson Street, Glasgow, Scotland.
Natwest Life Group Sculpture Exhibition, Royal West Academy of Art, Bristol, England.
1993
Selected for Poetry Now, Anthology of Scottish Poetry.
Sculpture Exhibition, CandaCraig Gardens, Strathdon, Scotland.
R.S.A. Group Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Work selected for The Cracked Mirror, Anthology of Scottish Poetry.
1992
Group Photographic Exhibition, Man and Environment in Harmony, Royal Academy of Art, London, England.
Selected Awards and Commissions
2020
Awarded full DYCP funding from ACE, Arts Council England; to research and explore perceptions of environment through architectural space.
2013
Funding Award – ACE, Arts Council England for a series of installations, events and dialogues in venues across the South East of England.
2008
Commissioned by UZ Events to produce The Environmental Art Project, Callendar Park, Falkirk, Scotland.
2007
Visual Arts Award – ACE, Arts Council England.
Commissioned by UZ Events to produce – live forever – temporary neon installation for Callendar Park, Falkirk, Scotland.
2006
Commissioned by the Hunterian Museum Glasgow to research and produce bronze portrait head of George Beatson. Glasgow, Scotland.
2004
Emerald Triptych, lacquered steel and beetle shell, private commission.
2003
Scottish Arts Council Funding: research trip to the Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy.
Sculpture Installation for Painful Creatures, Performance Art Festival. Commissioned by In Situ. Falkirk, Scotland.
2001
Scottish Arts Council Professional Development Grant: research trip to Documenta, Kassel, Germany, Berlin, Germany and London, England.
2000
Year of the Artist Residency: Workshops and Public ArtWorks, The Island of Eigg, Scotland.
Shortlisted for the Museum of Scottish Country Life Public Art Commission, National Museums of Scotland.
1999
Commissioned by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to produce stage set for new production of Animal Farm. Glasgow, Scotland.
1998
Commissioned by Devil Productions to design and produce Kinetic Sculpture for Channel 4.
1996
Commissioned by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to produce sculptural set pieces for new production of Cosi Fan Tutte. Glasgow, Scotland.
Awarded Shepley-Shepley Trust Youth Arts Funding: for equipment and materials.
1993
Shortlisted and commissioned to produce maquettes in steel and bronze, Natwest Life Sculpture Commission, Bristol. With the Royal Institute of British Sculptors. Bristol, England.
1992
Shortlisted for the World Wildlife Fund Environmental Sculpture Commission. London, England.
Education History
1989 – 1993 Grays School of Art Robert Gordon’s University, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Awarded B.A. (Hons) Fine Art, Sculpture.
Works Held In Collections
Guyan Porter has works held in public and private collections in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Italy, Cypress, France, South Africa and Russia