The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum continues the celebration of its 150th anniversary with a new art exhibition by Andrew Hay.
2024 is a landmark year for The Stirling Smith. Not only is the museum celebrating its 150th anniversary and the 900th year of Stirling as a Royal Burgh of Scotland, but 2024 also marks 40 years since the Miners’ Strike began. This strike has become a key moment in Scotland’s history and its effects have left their mark on many communities across Stirling, Scotland, and the whole of the UK.
Darkness on the Edge of Democracy is an artistic assessment of the political agenda that led up to and followed the Strike. In addition to painting, Andrew creates collages with found objects such as coal bags and wallpaper to bridge the gap between mining life and art. Through every paint stroke and collaged material, Andrew argues that the Strike was not just a battle for jobs or the closure of pits, but a clandestine agenda by the British Government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to impose a new economic model on British society. His artwork traces this back to 1973 Chile, when a violent military coup overthrew the government and forced a new economic system. By 1984, Thatcher, would adopt a similar model, leading to what Andrew contends was a bigger disparity between the rich and poor for the next 40 years.
