Monaco’s artist to the stars, his £125k paintings and locked New Town gallery
Will Quinn attempts to solve a locked room puzzle next to Edinburgh’s Sherlock Holmes’ statue
Welcome to your midweek edition of The Inquirer.
We thought it was time for some respite from all the politics. (Don’t worry fellow political anoraks, we’ve got plenty more coverage in the pipeline for you shortly.)
Today, however, we fancied a change of pace.
When we received an email about a new “world-class destination for contemporary art and curated events” in the New Town, we were intrigued. Intrigued, but not entirely convinced without finding out a bit more.
Within days a series of the email dropping into our inbox, a series of glowing write-ups about the Yaniv Edery Gallery obligingly appeared in both the national and local media.
We wanted to find out more before reporting back to you. So, Will Quinn spent the last few weeks trying to pin down the elusive Mr Edery, and researching the ‘art sensation’. You can get a taste of what he discovered below, and read the whole piece by signing up as a paying member.
Before all that, here’s your regular midweek news roundup and cultural highlights for the week ahead.
Your Edinburgh Briefing
IN THE GOOD BOOKS: Huge congratulations to everyone at Oxgangs Library which has been recognised as the UK’s Library of the Year at the prestigious British Book Awards. They prize was awarded for their Secret Santa project, delivering gift wrapped books to prisoners at Saughton Prison, in collaboration with the city council’s mobile library service.
HEARTS HEARTSTOPPERS: The Jambos’ rollercoaster football season will go down to the wire. After another night of drama last night - which saw Hearts’ title rivals Celtic pull off a dramatic last-minute win - it will all be settled this Saturday. Win at Celtic Park and they will be champions of Scotland for the first time since 1960. Heck, even a draw will do if for them. But if Celtic win, the title stays in Glasgow. Half the city will have no nails left by the time their biggest match in generations comes to an end. Kick-off is at 12.30pm. Expect busy pubs. That will apply to most of the rest of the month if the Jam Tarts pull it off.
ANOTHER QUIET ROADS U-TURN: Councillors on the local authority’s TRO (traffic regulation orders) sub-committee voted 5-4 to remove large parts of the five-year-old Meadows to Greenbank Quiet Route as we covered last week (Low traffic streets: Five years, two censured councillors, and endless uncertainty). An amendment from Green councillors preserved the traffic filter on Braid Road. However, after further “legal errors” were identified, all filters between Hermitage Drive and Grange Loan will now be removed, allowing cars to travel along the roads again. That includes the filters on Canaan Lane, where the Royal Blind School and Canaan Lane Primary School (opened after the quiet route was installed) are located.
ATTY BOY: Just when you thought there were no more feelgood moments to be wrung out of Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, up pops Edinburgh Zoo. Lebanese two-toed sloths Feira and Nico welcomed a baby son on Monday, the first sloth to be born in Scotland. He has been named Atty in honour of the man himself.
LABOUR DIVIDE: The party’s two senior figures in the Capital find themselves on different sides of its split over the future of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray remains in post as Minister for Media Tourism and Creative Industries and has warned about the risks of a leadership battle. Put on the spot, Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson said he “stands by” Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar’s call for Starmer to go.
KNIFEPOINT CAR-JACKING: A woman has been robbed of her car at knifepoint as she sat in the vehicle behind the Scotmid Store in Morvenside Close, Wester Hailes. The robbery, which too place at around 3.20pm on Tuesday, has been described by police as “very frightening” incident. The 22-year-old victim was unhurt.
Your Pick of the (Cultural) Pops
Greetings, Pop Pickers!
The mercury is finally twitching upwards across the capital, bringing a welcome hint of real sun - even if the breeze remains decidedly “bracing” the moment you step out of the light in your shorts. But while the North Sea tries its best to keep us shivering, the city’s stages are putting off enough heat to compensate. It is a formidable week for the charts, where catching even a mention is a badge of honour.
Let’s count them down...
Honourable Mentions: Cuckoo’s Nest, Black Diamonds & The Bodyguard
It’s a crowded field for our near-misses this week! First up, Leitheatre takes on the Broadway hit One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Church Hill Theatre, until Saturday); I expect such raw drama to suit this bold and ambitious band of unpaid professionals. Meanwhile, Gary McNair’s Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil (Royal Lyceum Theatre, until May 23rd) gets the stage VIP treatment with a Ricky Ross score and a heavyweight cast—with this much talent, it could improve on its ‘OK’ radio-play origins. Finally, for a high-gloss fix, The Bodyguard (Edinburgh Playhouse, May 18th – 23rd) is a Whitney-fuelled spectacle allegedly only kept from West End domination by a lack of sufficiently large theatres—not a problem it will face in the UK’s largest seated theatre!
New in at Number 5 is... Guys and Dolls (Festival Theatre, May 13th – 16th)
When Southern Light are good, they are very, very good - look no further than their superlative Sound of Music in 2022. Not every outing since has been a total triumph, but they remain capable of greatness. Guys and Dolls is the sort of fun, tuneful show that rewards pluck, and I guarantee they’ll bring that plus some surprisingly potent lungs.
New in at Number 4 is... RSA 200th Anniversary Exhibition (Royal Scottish Academy, Open Now).
The biggest show of the Royal Scottish Academy’s year has touched down on Princes Street. With over 500 works in this 200th birthday edition, there is most certainly something for everyone - whether that’s a cat statue with a prodigiously long tail, a room full of tiny architectural models, or gorgeous landscapes. Set over two floors, it’s a show that will reward return visits and unrushed exploration.
New in at Number 3 is... RSNO: Nicola Benedetti Plays Elgar (Usher Hall, Friday)
Depending on who you ask, Nicola Benedetti is one of the greatest violinists currently walking the planet. When she steps onto the Usher Hall stage alongside the mighty RSNO, it’s a major event. Factor in the universal critical love visited on her previous Elgar recitals, and we should expect nothing short of musical perfection. It’s only the sheer weight and variety of talent at the Number 2 spot that keeps this from rising higher.
New in at Number 2 is... Walking on Eggshells (Summerhall, May 14th — 16th).
The last Scissor Kick co-production, Jackals, proved to be one of the city’s Spring theatrical highlights. They are back, this time alongside Siren Theatre Company with an “autobiographical crack at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Expect insight, heart, and comedy in this newest production from a collaboration of two of the nation’s leading incubators of new theatre.
New in at Number 1 is... Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-in (Traverse Theatre, May 19th – 20th).
The National Theatre of Scotland and the Tron Theatre are bringing their very-well reviewed World Premiere to the Traverse. With that sort of theatrical might in the engine room, it’s hard to imagine any of the other runners in this week’s chart catching them before the finish line.
Set in Greenock, 1981, it’s the true story of the gallus Greenock girls who staged a seven-month sit-in against corporate greed. Played out to a live 80s soundtrack, the blend of rousing local history and synth-pop seems — at least to me - like a marriage made in rehearsal room heaven. Now, everyone involved is taking liberties with the term ‘premiere’ for a show which opened at the Tron last month—but as long as the show is this good, I’m sure we can all forgive such showbiz flimflammery!
And that’s your Top 5!
Now, don’t just sit there - get those tickets booked and remember to tell the box office exactly who pointed you their way. Catch you in the comments; I’m ready to soak up your praise or politely dismantle your misguided critiques!
The Edinburgh Inquirer is a readers-supported digital newspaper. Only the backing of our paying members makes all our high-quality local journalism possible. Please consider joining us as a paying member from just £1.54 a week if you can.
Monaco’s artist to the stars, his £125k paintings and locked New Town gallery
Will Quinn attempts to solve a locked room puzzle next to Edinburgh’s Sherlock Holmes’ statue
Main feature copy goes here
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on Picardy Place. It is, therefore, fitting that the same stretch of tarmac is presently playing host to a locked-room mystery.
At Number 4, flanked by the culinary titans of Taco Bell and Tesco Express, sits the Yaniv Edery Gallery. A few weeks ago, their PR machine kicked into high gear to announce its arrival. The press releases promised a “world-class destination for contemporary art”, marking the UK debut of an internationally acclaimed Monaco-based artist. The works inside, we were told, command price tags ranging from £30,000 to £125,000.
A grand launch was heavily promoted for late March - I wasn’t on the guest list. Unoffended but curious, I contacted the gallery’s communications agency on March 31st, hoping to secure an interview with Mr Edery. He had, regrettably, already retreated to the continent. Still interested to see this new luxury space for myself, I asked if I could pay a visit.
As of writing, they have been unable to find anyone capable of unlocking the front door. How do you like that for a mystery? Why spend time and money shipping Mr Edery’s art from the continent and onto these Georgian walls only to seal the building up and turn out the lights?
When asked how an artist plans to oversee a flagship UK gallery from a different time zone, his representatives offer a masterclass in serene deflection.
“Yaniv remains internationally based and works across several markets, particularly from Monaco, but this gallery is a major long-term commitment for him,” his team explained. “While he won’t be in Edinburgh every week, he is closely involved in the creative direction, the curation of the collection and the overall vision of the space.”
They assure me that the gallery boasts a “strong team on the ground managing the art gallery and events operations,” with Yaniv visiting “from time to time”. Given the locked doors and (as of writing) a live online job advert seeking a General Manager, that team is well hidden.
The mechanics of ‘hype art’
To understand what is actually happening behind those locked doors, one must consider the £125,000 objects (maybe these are prints commanding a lower price-point, who can say?) hanging on the walls.
Yaniv Edery is a self-taught contemporary artist whose process involves layering thick, high-gloss resin over injected acrylic and ink on brushed aluminium. He frequently incorporates 3D-printed reliefs, Swarovski crystals, and metallic finishes. It is a highly specific physical execution that eliminates the natural texture of human imperfection. To me, the resulting canvases flawlessly mimic the weightless, frictionless aesthetic of A.I. art.
The subject matter, in my opinion, is pure, unadulterated “Hype Art”. It is a visual language reliant upon the recognition of pop-culture wealth symbols. Gorillas chomping on fat cigars. Scrooge McDuck swimming in gold coins. Luxury brand logos and oversized Rolex crowns.
